All We Want For The New Year Is …

Lori Hultin

All I Want for the New Year is…Jonathan Quick’s Return to the Kings!

They say that if an NHL team possesses the holy trinity: a top-notch defenseman, a number one center man and an elite goaltender, it can go far. The Los Angeles Kings proved there was truth to this in 2012 and again in 2014, when the combination of Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar and Jonathan Quick (along with a great supporting cast, of course), brought them two Cups. Since then, the salary cap, some off-ice issues, and a few trades gone wrong, have stood in the way of a repeat, but fortunately, the core of Doughty, Kopitar and Quick has remained – and with it, the hopes of Kings fans everywhere.

That’s why Jonathan Quick going down in the first game of this 2016-2017 season was viewed as such a devastating blow to this year’s aspirations. Without Quick, the Kings were left with Jeff Zatkoff – newly acquired in the off-season, and backup Peter Budaj – fresh from the Kings’ AHL team, to pick up the pieces. Unfortunately, this didn’t look like a repeat of 2014 when Quick went down in a December game against Buffalo and back-ups Ben Scrivens and Martin Jones – now a number one goalie for the rival Sharks – ably stepped in until Quick’s return just a few months later.

It’s now the end of December and the Kings have been without the services of Quick since the start of the season and won’t likely see him in-goal until February, at best. So how have they fared?

Not terribly – at least in the net-minding department – thanks to Peter Budaj making the most of his opportunity when Zatkoff was also injured just a few games into his tenure. Budaj has stepped up, currently boasting a .920 save percentage and goals against average of 2.04. With the exception of a couple of wobbly games, Budaj has been stellar for the Kings. Since returning to action, Jeff Zatkoff has also played well, and although he has only two wins in his nine games played, has brought his save percentage up to a respectable .892, with goals against sitting at 2.84. But both of these goaltenders – while doing an admirable job in Quick’s absence – are hardly “elite” or ready to take the Kings on a deep playoff run. If the Kings are going to ensure a playoff berth in these last few months of the season, and follow it with a deep trip into the playoffs, they’ll need Quick back.

Of course, there will be a “rust” factor and while the trainers and coaches will do their best to ensure that Quick is game-ready before making his start, there is always the concern of Quick not being quite ready or showing hesitation and tentativeness following what looked to be a significant groin injury. But Quick is proven and clearly a tough competitor who will likely do everything in his power to regain his elite status.  For Kings fans who hope their team can secure a playoff spot and go further than the first round this season, having Quick back and ready for action is critical.