The Columbus Blue Jackets acquired two-time Stanley Cup winner Jonathan Quick and two draft picks from the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday in exchange for fellow goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov.
The Blue Jackets are receiving a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and a third-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft. Should the Kings fail to qualify for the playoffs, Columbus would then receive second-round picks in the 2023 and 2024 NHL Drafts.
The trade gives the Kings the goalie and left-handed defenseman many feel are the missing ingredients for a team that enters play on Wednesday tied with Vegas for the most points in the Pacific Division. The Golden Knights, however, have played two fewer games.
The Kings are second-to-last in the league in save percentage (.882) and their 3.39 goals-against average ranks 22nd among the 32 NHL teams. On the season, Quick is 11-13-4 with a 3.50 GAA, .876 save percentage and one shutout in 31 games (27 starts).
He is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
With the trade, Los Angeles bids farewell to one of the most significant players in club history.
Quick, 37, is the Kings’ all-time leader in goalie wins (370, 199 more than the next-closest player), save percentage (minimum 70 games played) at .911 and shutouts (57). He was the netminder for the club’s two Stanley Cup championships (2012, 2014), and the Connecticut native ranks third all-time in wins by American-born goalies.
“Jonathan Quick is a two-time Stanley Cup winner who has been an outstanding goaltender in our league for a long time and this deal provides us with draft capital that will be valuable as we move forward as an organization,” Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said. “It’s never easy to trade players like Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo as they have been exceptional Blue Jackets, but given our current position, these moves were in our club’s best interest. They are wonderful individuals, and we will always appreciate the contributions they made while they were here.”
However, Quick’s 2022-23 numbers are the worst of his career since his debut season, when he played only three games.
Korpisalo, 28, has played in 28 games this season after playing in only 22 last season as he battled injuries. He underwent hip surgery in the offseason and did not make his season debut until November.
He is 87-78-24 in 210 games over his eight seasons, all with Columbus. Korpisalo has a career .903 save percentage and 3.06 goals-against average. He is 11-11-3 with a .913 save percentage and a 3.17 GAA this season.
Like many Blue Jackets players (Columbus’ 46 points are the fewest in the league), Gavrikov is having a down season with three goals and seven assists in 52 games.
The 27-year-old Russian has 15 goals and 58 assists in 256 games, all with Columbus. His five goals last season tied a career high while his 28 assists and 33 points set new career benchmarks.
–Field Level Media
