That third goal was not "a lucky swat". That's a skill. Just queue up all the times Sidney Crosby scores goals by swatting the puck out of the air. Those aren't the product of luck; they're the product of practice and hand-eye coordination from a skilled goal-scorer.
Generally, I agree. I don't think the Kings have a player who is mentally tougher than Jonathan Quick, but that is one of the many reasons he is a valuable asset. What purpose does it serve to have him retire as a King when this team isn't going to win jack over the next 5 years. Besides if Cal Petersen is the future, isn't it time to have him in the NHL now. He is 23 years of age.
No five more years for Quick, including this season. Say Petersen becomes the Kings #1 next season, or the season after that, are you going to pay Quick a cap hit of $5M+ to be the backup for 3 seasons? This season is probably Blake's last opportunity to move Quick.
Try a bad two seasons for both.. Amart should be on the left side w/ Phaneuf switching over and LaDue moving up pair with Muzzin if you really want an ideal lineup ... not sure about the results since I believe LaDue only played a few games with Muzzin but I’m pretty sure the really good...
Perhaps, so why lose him for nothing. A contender who has an injury to their #1 goaltender would pay handsomely for Quick, and I must admit I would like to see Quick get another opportunity with a good team to show he has been the best money goalie in the NHL throughout his career.
Uh, we have Bill Ranford now. Anyone notice there have been no Fisets, Cloutiers, or Chekmaneks on the Kings roster ever since his arrival?
Why, because it is a discussion board. Goalies get injured every season. Quick has lost a lot of his trade value. It may take the perfect storm to move his contract. Blake would be wise to move it if he can.
We've also had someone else since his arrival that has prevented the Fisets, Cloutiers, and Cechmaneks.
Yes, a handful of back-ups have come in over the years and performed well when Quick's gone down. But Ranford's not some miracle medicine man that reanimates dead goalies into reliable starters. Where's Ben Scrivens? Ersberg? Labarbera? Enroth? Zatkoff? Martin Jones is a starter. Bernier, the former first round pick, has bounced around the league as a starter and back-up. Keumper's a back-up in Arizona and Budaj's the new Reign mascot. That's not really a very impressive "where are they now" list for 12 years worth of goalies. A backup playing well when they get the rare opportunity to be the #1 isn't an odd thing, these guys are athletes and competitors playing a unique position. They can step up, the team can rally behind them, but if you take away the "here's my chance" and the team mentality "just got to squeeze out whatever extra we can until Quick's back" are the results going to be the same?
Quick gets hurt. If he gets hurt long enough his salary is irrelevant. Cycling through back-ups while he's hurt has worked out alright for us. When he's healthy he's still one of the best in the game at a cap hit that looks better and better every year. I'm floored that people think trading him would be a good idea.
