Discussion of the Day: 9/17/23

Happy Sunday, and I hope you are having a good weekend. Today’s prompt is centered around a move that turned some heads earlier in the summer, and to be more specific I am referencing the signing of Jonathan Quick to be the New York Rangers’ backup netminder. Quick turns 38 in January, and prior to a trade from the Los Angeles Kings to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Vegas Golden Knights shortly thereafter, it appeared Quick was ready to hang up his skates after quite a successful NHL career. But now he wants to keep playing, and it is possible that a farewell tour with the team he grew up rooting for is a chance for him to scratch something off the bucket list. With that said, here’s the prompt.

How many games do you think will Jonathan Quick start for the Rangers this season?

I don’t need a specific number here, a range is acceptable, and I am more or less interested in what you all think as far as it concerns Quick and how long he’ll be around. As someone who watched Quick play a bit last season through my work running Knights on Ice, I am not optimistic about his chances, and feel like this could be a situation to when Martin Brodeur was with the St. Louis Blues and wore the jersey for a pretty short stint.

Last season Quick went 16-5-6 with a .882 save percentage, and a 3.41 goals against average while posting a -23.18 GSAA (goals saved above average), a -15.45 GSAx (goals saved above expected), and a dFSv% of -1.01. The last one takes the difference of actual save percentage and expected save percentage of unblocked shots.

Essentially the TL/DR is that Quick looked pretty cooked as a goaltender, and while he’s in New York to be a backup and a “mentor” to Igor Shesterkin, I think he’s going to be around for 15-20 starts, and he won’t end the season as the backup.

I could be completely wrong, but I am interested in what you all think, and hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!