Los Angeles Kings sent goaltender Jonathan Quick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo.
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It transpires that Patrick Kane wasn’t the only 2010s franchise legend leaving on Tuesday. In a startling postgame transaction on Tuesday, the Los Angeles Kings sent goaltender Jonathan Quick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, according to sources who spoke to Daily Faceoff. However, neither team made an official announcement of the transaction until the early morning hours, according to sources, even though the trade call with the NHL was concluded following the Kings’ 6-5 victory in Winnipeg.
The specifics of the trade are still unknown. According to sources, Quick and Los Angeles’ 2023 first-round pick are included, but it’s likely that other assets from the Kings’ organization are also needed to acquire Gavrikov and Korpisalo, two of the best rental players at their positions available before Friday’s trade deadline.
It would be an “understatement” to suggest that Quick was not pleased with the move, the insider claimed. Quick, 37, has six weeks left on his 10-year, $58 million contract with the Kings, which he had signed back in 2012. With a mind-boggling.946 playoff save percentage, he led the Kings to the first two Stanley Cup victories for the team in 2012 and 2014. He also won the Conn Smythe Award as playoff MVP in 2012. It was uncertain how his career would develop going forward or whether he might think about retiring after the season.
Instead, the Kings decided to move Quick, who was not covered by a “no-trade” clause in his contract, and went with veteran Pheonix Copley, 31, and Korpisalo. And Quick, who was preparing for a run in the playoffs, was abruptly sent to the league’s 32nd-place squad to finish the year. The Blue Jackets don’t really need Quick’s services now that Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov are on the way; he was just included in the deal to make Gavrikov and Korpisalo pay work.
The entire Kings team was undoubtedly taken aback by the move, despite the fact that Quick’s performance has declined this season. The Kings’ ability to make the playoffs last year was largely due to Quick. On an evening when he netted four goals for just the second time in his career and the Kings came from behind three times to win, captain Anze Kopitar was clearly depressed during his postgame television interview. On Tuesday night’s charter aircraft back to Los Angeles, Quick traveled with the Kings. According to sources, there was a melancholy atmosphere on board, and Quick said his farewell to everyone before leaving. Tears were shed.
As the Kings pick their jaws up off the ground in the upcoming days, that attitude might alter. Gavrikov will give a vital left-shooting aspect on the backside on a squad stocked with right-handed alternatives. After a pair of injury-plagued seasons, Korpisalo had quietly put together an outstanding season with a.911 save percentage for the weakest squad in the league. Unrestricted free agents are expected for both players.
The transaction and its potential to help the Kings, who are tied with Vegas for first place in the Pacific Division, will have plenty of time to be examined. Nonetheless, in the immediate wake of the transaction, the Kings’ handling of a franchise legend commanded all of the attention and focus. The fact that Kane and Quick, two of the top players of American descent at their positions, were traded on the same day was still hard to comprehend.
During the past ten years or so, Quick and Kane have engaged in several fights as the hockey world’s power centers of Chicago and Los Angeles swing back and forth. From 2010 and 2015, both players led their teams to five Stanley Cup victories. Both guys will have their names inscribed on monuments outside their arenas and their numbers hung in the rafters, but only one received a call for his final shot.
