JONATHAN QUICK
This season: 44 games, 21-18-2 record, 2.48 goals-against average, .914 save percentage.
The good: What’s not to like? Quick, with only three previous games of NHL experience, came up from Manchester after the Kings traded Jason LaBarbera and, as Terry Murray put it, gave the Kings a chance to win every night. Well, almost every night, but it’s hard to argue with what Quick gave the Kings. He had four shutouts, ended the season by allowing a total of six goals in his last four games and generally gave hope that he could be the goalie the Kings have been looking for.
The bad: Forty-four games is a good sample size, but there’s still a bit of a “prove it” aspect to Quick. Yes, he thrived during a midseason call-up when expectations weren’t high. What happens if he earns the No. 1 job out of training camp and feels the pressure of being the top dog? Can he handle it? There’s a bit of a consistency issue with Quick, but that can be said about any young goalie.
Going forward: By all indications, Quick will enter training camp as the de facto No. 1 goalie. The Kings will make him earn it, and Erik Ersberg and Jonathan Bernier will be given a chance to knock him off, but Ersberg seems better suited to backup duty and the Kings would ideally like to have Bernier spend another season in the AHL. No player on the Kings is more competitive than Quick, so he should be up to the challenge in training camp.