Rangers sign Jonathan Quick to contract extension following revival

NHL

by Molly Walker

The exciting revival of future Hall of Fame goaltender Jonathan Quick made this an easy decision for the Rangers.

So, ahead of the expected trade deadline week flurry, president and general manager Chris Drury looked a little further down the line and signed the 38-year-old netminder to a one-year extension with the cap hitting $1.275 million on Sunday.

This was a contract befitting Quick, his established veteran status and what he brought to the Rangers, both on and off the ice.

It includes a $775,000 salary, a $500,000 signing bonus, a 20-team no-trade clause, and a $25,000 performance bonus if he posts a .915 save percentage and makes 20 starts.

With that, the Blueshirts have kept their goaltending for at least one more season with the signing of No. 1 Igor Shesterkin through the 2024-25 season.

“It's a good feeling knowing I'll be back,” Quick told reporters after an optional practice Sunday in Tarrytown. “We're in the middle of the season, so the focus is here and now. We've made it to Florida [on Monday]”They are a great team.”

Quick has excelled in a reserve role but hasn't looked like it since the start of the regular season.

After an eventful 2022-23 campaign filled with disappointing play, two trades and a third Stanley Cup, Quick signed a one-year contract with an $825,000 salary to play for the Rangers, the team he grew up rooting for.

A bumpy preseason has only served to prepare Rangers fans for the wild ride that will see – and root for – the return of the goaltender who crushed their dreams wearing a Kings jersey in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final.

Quick has transformed into a more refined version of his old self under Rangers goalkeeper Benoit Allaire.

The athleticism remains unparalleled and just as entertaining as it was when he helped bring two Cups to Los Angeles.

That prompted Drury to engage in early negotiations, which Quick said took place over a week of back-and-forth negotiations.

Having won four of his last five starts, while allowing two or fewer goals in three of them, Quick Ranks is tied for sixth in goals against average (2.45) and sixth in save percentage (.916) among NHL goaltenders with 20 or more games played. this chapter.

His 13-5-2 record ties Dave Kerr, Lorne Chabot and Shesterkin for the most wins in 20 career games with the Rangers.

The signing sets Quick up to move up the list of all-time winningest goaltenders in NHL history. He is currently one victory away from tying Dominik Hasek for 15th at 389.

All of which ensures that Quick will pass Ryan Miller (391) for the most wins among American-born netminders while wearing a Rangers jersey.

“I think it's great,” said head coach Peter Laviolette. “It's well deserved. His play in the room and his play on the ice has been outstanding. He brings a lot of that winning culture and that character that he brings inside our room. But his play on the ice has been excellent as well. There was a point where Shesty wasn't available for us and we needed someone What to say, it was great. It shouldn't surprise anyone.

“But when you come to a new team and you find someone who jumps like that and carries the ball the way he did. He had a great year for us and was rewarded with a contract extension. I know everyone is happy to have him back next year.