The New York Rangers are rewarding the play of goaltender Jonathan Quick with a contract extension. Quick had just become eligible for an extension on the first of January this year, so it didn’t take long for the two sides to reach common ground. The extension should also give Quick a small bump in salary from his current $825k all the way to a $1.275 million salary.
Many fans in the hockey world remember Quick. The longtime goalie on the Los Angeles Kings spent 15 seasons there, winning multiple Stanley Cup championships, picking up three top-five Vezina Trophy finishes, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and two William M. Jennings Trophies. Quick was in the final season of a 10-year contract with the Kings when they decided to trade him to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Joonas Korpisalo and Vladislav Gavrikov.
Columbus wasn’t in a place to win a Stanley Cup, but they respected him enough to trade him to a contender immediately afterwards. He got shipped to the Vegas Golden Knights and produced a 5-2-2 record with a .901 save percentage. He didn’t play a postseason game for them but won a third Stanley Cup when the Knights won it all.
Rangers Jonathan Quick Has Shined In New York
It was after this season that he once again became a free agent, and the Rangers snatched him up on the first day of free agency. Now, the expectations weren’t very high, but he’s been excellent in New York. In 21 games played, he’s 13-5-2 with a .916 save percentage and a 2.45 GAA as a backup behind Igor Shesterkin.
Quick is very likely going to continue serving as this primary backup goaltender for the rest of the year as this championship contending roster moves towards the postseason. There’s no question that Quick deserved the extension and the pay raise.
If there’s one thing that’s certain though, it’s that most fans are happy to watch Quick succeed in the net again. Even Kings fans weren’t happy with the way that they tossed him to the side and shipped him to a rebuilding Columbus team in the middle of the season.
I mean, the Blue Jackets only had him for a few moments and they had more respect to trade him to a contender. Here’s to hoping that Quick can keep bringing an impact to the Rangers amidst their Stanley Cup run.
