The Los Angeles Kings have signed goalie Jonathan Quick to a 10-year contract extension that will run through the 2022-23 season.
The deal is reportedly worth $58 million (cap hit $5.8 million).
The 26-year-old Conn Smythe Trophy winner has one year left on his current contract with a $1.8 million cap hit.
The Kings’ justification for making such a lengthy commitment is laid out below:
Quick had a record-setting year in 2011-12 for the Kings and ranked amongst the NHL’s best in every major goaltending category. He was even better during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs as he led the Kings to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship.
In 20 postseason games Quick compiled 16 wins while leading all playoff goaltenders with a 1.41 goals-against average (third best all-time for goalies with at least 10 games played) and a .946 save percentage (tied for third best all-time for goalies with at least 10 games played). He also tied for first with three postseason shutouts.
Quick’s regular season NHL rankings were the following: first in shutouts (10), second in goals-against average (1.95), tied for fifth in wins (35), tied for fifth in save percentage (.929) and fourth in games played (69).
Now that Quick’s not going anywhere, it’ll be worth watching what the Kings do with Jonathan Bernier, as GM Dean Lombardi doesn’t have to worry anymore about trading the 23-year-old then watching Quick walk away as an unrestricted free agent.
Then again, the Kings might want to keep Bernier as a backup and hope his so-so numbers (5-6-2, .909 SV%) improve next season, thus upping his trade value.