Jonathan Quick symbolized the image of the Los Angeles Kings. The American, a third-round pick in 2005, had never worn a jersey other than the Kings’ in 743 NHL games.
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But nothing ever lasts forever in hockey. The Kings closed a major page in their history Tuesday night in hopes of improving their team. General manager Rob Blake traded Quick and his whopping $5.8 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets for defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.
“If you want loyalty, get a dog. In July 2017, Marc Bergevin uttered this phrase to explain tense negotiations with Alexander Radulov, who eventually settled on a five-year, $31.25 million pact with the Dallas Stars.
Blake didn’t reuse the same sentence in Quick’s case. But the Kings general manager had his team’s well-being in mind before protecting an icon of his organization.
During his golden years in Los Angeles, Quick led the Kings to two Stanley Cup titles, in 2012 and 2014. The acrobatic goalie was a key figure in both triumphs, as was Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown.
“Jonathan Quick is the best goaltender in the history of this organization,” Blake said during a video conference call Wednesday morning. He twice led the kings to the promised land. We thank him. He’s a great player and a great person. He made all Kings fans proud. We will always be grateful to him. »
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
Rob Blake
A matter of money
With Quick’s departure, Blake relieved $5.8 million on his team’s payroll. The Connecticut native will become an unrestricted free agent by the end of the year.
With the money saved, the Kings have found a way to use a reliable defender in Gavrikov (2.8m) and a younger, more solid goaltender in Korpisalo (1.3m) this season.
The price for the Kings wasn’t Quick’s. On the contrary, Jarmo Kekalainen helped his colleague by taking charge of the last year of his contract. The Blue Jackets GM earned a conditional first-round pick in 2023 and a third-round pick in 2024.
If the Kings don’t make the playoffs this year, which would be surprising, the Jackets would get a 2nd-round pick in 2023 and another 2nd-round pick in 2024 instead of the first-round pick for the next draft.
frustration
Quick’s departure made more waves in Los Angeles than the acquisitions of two good players. Blake spent most of his meeting with the media justifying his decision.
In the dressing room, Kopitar and Doughty took the news badly. Blake confirmed this by saying he did not have an opportunity to speak to his veterans since he did not travel to Winnipeg. The Kings defeated the Jets 6-5 in a shootout Tuesday night. During that game, Blake made this pact with the Blue Jackets.
The Kings GM therefore informed his goaltender after the meeting and also spoke to Kopitar and Doughty while Todd McLellan, the head coach, met Phillip Danault.
When asked about the nature of his discussion with Quick, Blake made this admission.
” It’s personal. But I wouldn’t say it was easy. This is probably the most difficult conversation for me in my role as CEO. »
“It wasn’t perfect because of the time,” Blake continued. Could we have done it differently? Perhaps. But we had to trade him at that point and I couldn’t wait until the next day to talk to the players. »
A sweater withdrawal?
In a few years, once the dust settles, the Kings will have a chance to fix the bridges with Quick. Number 32 should logically see his shirt removed by the organization.
“I don’t have the final say, but he deserves it,” Blake said.