Rangers' Jonathan Quick rewarded with contract extension
Rangers goaltender Jonathan Quick skates to the net after a break in the action against the Montreal Canadiens in the second period of an NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Rangers announced Sunday that they have signed backup goaltender Jonathan Quick to a contract extension that an NHL source said is for one year and a $1.275 million cap hit.
According to PuckPedia, Quick’s contract will pay him a $725,000 base salary along with a $500,000 signing bonus. There are reports that some incentives are attached to the deal.
The deal is a reward for a great season from a likely Hall of Fame goaltender who signed a one-year deal with the Rangers last summer to back up Igor Shesterkin.
“I think it’s fantastic,’’ coach Peter Laviolette told reporters at the Rangers’ lightly attended optional practice Sunday at their Westchester County training facility. “This is well-deserved . . . He brings so much of a winning culture and that character he brings inside of our room, but his play on the ice has been excellent, too . . .
“He’s had a fantastic year for us and gets rewarded with a contract extension. I know that everyone is thrilled that he’s coming back next year.’’
“It’s a good feeling knowing I’ll be back, but we’re in the middle of a season, so the focus is here and now,’’ Quick said. “We’ve got Florida [the No. 1 team in the league] coming in tomorrow, they’re a great team and what we can do to get ready for that game. That’s the focus right now.
“It worked out that they wanted me back for another year, and I wanted to be here for another year, so I’m looking forward to that opportunity.’’
Quick, 38, was coming off winning a third Stanley Cup ring, serving as an emergency backup with the Vegas Golden Knights last summer, when he signed a one-year, $825,000 (plus incentives) deal with the Rangers as a free agent.
He had a less than stellar season with the Los Angeles Kings, who traded him at last year’s deadline to Columbus, which then traded him to Vegas. Some thought he was finished as an NHL goalie.
Not much was expected from Quick this season, but his play far exceeded expectations. He is 13-5-2 with a 2.45 goals-against average, a .916 save percentage and one shutout in 21 games (20 starts).
A native of Milford, Connecticut, who grew up as a Rangers fan, Quick played 14 1⁄2 seasons with the Kings and was the backbone of their 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup champion teams. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2012 and beat the Rangers in 2014.
His 388 career wins are second among American-born goaltenders behind Ryan Miller’s 391. Quick’s 60 shutouts are the most among American goalies.
As a backup to Shesterkin, he doesn’t have much control over when or how much he plays, but with 21 games left in the regular season, he could catch or surpass Miller this season. The milestone of 400 career wins likely will have to wait until next season.
Quick demurred when asked how many more seasons he wants to play.
“It’s tough to think like that,’’ he said. “I just try to come in every day and bring whatever I can to the table and compete, work hard and be a good teammate. I like the approach coming in one day at a time and not thinking too far ahead.’’
Quick has posted his best numbers since the 2017-18 season. He won seven straight starts from early November until mid-December. That included a 4-1 win over Los Angeles on Dec. 10 in which he stopped 25 of 26 shots.
He had a four-game winning streak from late January until mid-February, but it was stopped in a 4-2 loss to Columbus on Feb. 25 when the Blue Jackets ended the Rangers’ 10-game winning streak.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
