The New York Rangers are one of hockey’s hottest teams, holding a 19-6-1 as of Dec. 11, good for 39 points and first in the Eastern Conference’s Metropolitan Division. While a chunk of the credit goes to head coach Peter Laviolette and the team’s leading scorer Artemi Panarin, one offseason addition has been an unexpected source of stability.
Jonathan Quick, now in his 17th NHL season, has been a revelation for the Rangers as their backup goaltender to 2021-22 Veznia Trophy-winner Igor Shesterkin. Posting an 8-0-1 record this season, Quick has looked like the goalie that helped lead the Los Angeles Kings to two Stanley Cup championships in the 2010s.
On Monday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss Quick’s great start with the Rangers, and how the three-time Stanley Cup champion fits into a blueshirts team with their own playoff aspirations.
Frank Seravalli: I wanted to give a little love to Jonathan Quick of the New York Rangers, who by the way, are running away with the Metropolitan Division. They might have this division locked up by February, that’s how head-and-shoulders they’ve been above everyone else. A big reason for that is anytime they’ve had to turn to their backup goalie in Quick, he’s been unreal. No losses in regulation this season, posting an 8-0-1 record with a .922 save percentage.
I’ll be the first to admit, as he beat his former team in the Los Angeles Kings on Sunday night, that I thought his career was over. Last year, you were the extra guy on the Vegas Golden Knights and win your third Stanley Cup. He put up an .882 save percentage in 2022-23 between the Kings and Golden Knights, and I thought that was it. Great career, probably a Hall of Fame career, but that’s it.
I had thought Rangers general manager Chris Drury dropped the ball on this one. I had thought that they probably could have made a better bet when it comes to another goalie finding their game, but it turns out that he’s looked wonderful standing behind Igor Shesterkin. Frankly, one of the great stories of the year is Quick as he approaches his 38th birthday.
You can watch the rest of the episode here…
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