If the cinematic masterpiece “Mean Girls” starring Lindsay Lohan taught us anything, it’s that enemies can become friends. We see that a lot in all sports when players either get traded or sign with different teams. It happens every year.
The New Jersey Devils spent years on the hating end of Wayne Simmonds and the Philadelphia Flyers. Then Simmonds signed with his former rival prior to the 2019-2020 season. Robert Thomas and Torey Krug found themselves to opposite ends of a controversial no call in the 2019 Stanley Cup finals. When Krug signed with Thomas’ St. Louis Blues they buried whatever hatchet they had with a “Step Brothers” gif.
Okay now back to hockey. Goaltending is still a question mark for the New Jersey Devils. Even if Vitek Vanecek has been better than expected, Mackenzie Blackwood still has injury concerns and is in the final year of his contract. Blackwood will be a restricted free agent this summer. Does the team stil ltrust him to be the number one goaltender of the future like they once did?
What If They Look For Outside Help?
Once the calendar turns to summer and free agents are allowed to spread their wings, there will be speculation the Devils look that route for goaltending help. With Vanecek signing a three-year deal prior to this season, Blackwood has become somewhat expendable. Akira Schmid still continues to be impressive. General manager Tom Fitzgerald will still be kicking the tires on free agent goaltenders, even if it’s just to find a third option.
Remember that whole “enemies can become friends” thing? Well one of the big name goaltenders hitting free agency this summer is Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. Quick is one of the reasons the Kings defeated the Devils for the 2012 Stanley Cup and rightfully won the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP. He did beat the Rangers in the 2014 Stanley Cup final, so we’re no longer mad at him.
Don’t Be So Quick To Assume Things
Quick has spent his entire NHL career in the City of Angels, but at age 36 he might need to find a new place of employment. Even though he was waived earlier this season, the Kings are still treating Cal Peterson are Quick’s heir apparent. Much like the Devils signed Vanecek, Peterson started this season with a new three-year, $15-million contract. Quick remaining in Los Angeles to split the workload with Peterson is always an option, but it’s no longer a guarantee as the Kings continue to move on from that 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup core.
Quick also grew up in Connecticut, so New Jersey would be close to the area he grew up in and spends his offseason. Quick might miss the sunny California weather for those snowy New Jersey winters. All we’re saying is New Jersey is a lot closer to Connecticut that it is to Columbus, Ohio (looking at you, Johnny Gaudreau).
Let’s Put That To Quick Rest
Now there are two reasons why this hypothetical match up might not work.
First, the Devils would most likely want someone who could carry a “1B” workload to their presumptive starter. It might be unrealistic to think that Quick would be ready to accept the glorified backup life just yet and might still want to either stay with the Kings or go to a team where he will be the undisputed number one. “Undisputed number one” doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll get more than 50 games of action, just there is no doubt that he is the team’s first choice.
Secondly, the Devils have tried this before. Just a few short years ago they signed Corey Crawford, a former All-Star, Stanley Cup winning franchise goalie in the twilight of his career, to serve as the “1B” in a shared-tandem workload. Crawford unceremoniously retired before the season even started. Granted Crawford had plenty of notable injuries. Quick has been much more durable. Still, since the same thinking didn’t work out once maybe the team wants to avoid that route entirely.
Lastly, Quick simply is not good anymore. He has a .884 save percentage this season and has alternated posting sub-.900 save percentages the past five seasons. Further, he has posted a negative goals saved above expected (GSAx) in four of the last five seasons. His cumulative GSAx sits at -32.78 over that time period. One of the worst figures over this time in the NHL.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, for the reasons outlined above, Jonathan Quick should not be considered as an option this off-season. He is not the goalie he once was, as evident by his immense struggles the past five years. Additionally, there are some other logistics that just do not quite make sense.
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