JONATHAN QUICK
This season: 61 games, 35-22-3 record, 2.24 goals-against average, .918 save percentage.
The good: Quick set franchise records in 2009-10, then had to spend the summer listening to league pundits — many, not just one or two — openly predict that he would lose his job to Jonathan Bernier sooner rather than later. How did Quick respond? By showing up to training camp in outstanding shape, leading the Kings to a 12-3 start, finishing in the top five in the league in goals-against average and, in general, by quieting the chatter about his job status.
The bad: No goalie could match the type of torrid start that Quick had this season, but Quick wobbled in January as the Kings temporarily fell out of the playoff picture. When Quick is off his game, it’s easy to see. He looks, in general, less settled in the net, less poised and more opt to be out of position on opponents’ scoring chances. The number of those games this season, however, was reduced dramatically from previous seasons. Quick’s goals-against average was stellar, but his save percentage was good, not great.
Going forward: Quick took some heat in the playoffs for allowing 20 goals in six games, but the Kings’ stunning defensive collapse in front of him was far more to blame. Quick, in a way, seemed to relish the challenge of having Bernier behind him, looming as a threat to his job. The competition — or at least the threat of competition — seemed to push Quick to greater heights. He is perhaps the most fiery, competitive player on the roster, and that manifested itself in a good way this season and could do the same next season.
I never really put too much stock into the save percentage thing anyway but wonder how would quick’s stats look on a van or det team.
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Big Rob in Dallas Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
@99, My $.02. I think the save % is a better reflection of his performance whereas GAA is more of the team’s defensive play.
Very nice to have two reliable Goalies. I don’t think we’ve ever had this luxury, at least since 88-89 when I became a fan.
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Dominick Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
@Big Rob in Dallas,
GAA is a fair reflection of his perfomance also, because the team could be giving up shots from high scoring areas, or just being outplayed and Quick has to carry the team. The team doesn’t give him a whole lot of goal support, so on many occasions Quick has to allow 2 or less for us to win, and sometimes the team doesn’t make it easy on him.
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mcsorleyfan Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 9:43 pm
@Dominick, was going to say the same thing. Save % can be artificially inflated by a good D forcing a lot of poor percentage, outside shots. We saw that a few times this year; JQ stops 53 stops but only 4 were actually grade A scoring opportunities. However, the opposite can be true as well. IMHO, save %, GAA, +-, all are stats interreliant upon the rest of the defensive triangle. In viewing any of them, it seems to me the context of the game/s must be considered as well.
Scott Reply:
May 8th, 2011 at 6:04 pm
Quickie, glove is atill really weak. SJ targeted it a lot especially in G1. For him to be a dominate goalie, he needs help high glove.
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Where’s the A+? Maybe next season the rest of the team is ready to make a run at the cup.
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PRMan Reply:
May 8th, 2011 at 8:01 am
@Dominick, A+? I would have given him an A except for his playoff collapse. Again.
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RJC76 Reply:
May 8th, 2011 at 1:51 pm
@PRMan, Collapse? That’s funny.
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Quick should definitely be the team’s MVP this year. I always laughed when I saw the inevitable posts saying that Bernier should be the starter. Ridiculous. While i love Bernier, think he’ll be a NHL starter for a long time, and that he improved over the course of the year, it was Quick who kept the Kings in games night-in and night-out. Yeah, he had a bit of a rough stretch mid-year (many goalies do), but the team won SO many games they had no business winning (including his incredible playoff performance) because of him.
The guy is only 25…just getting ready to come into his prime. Sign both goalies…having 2 trustworthy netminders is something this team needs.
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Pesus Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
@historyguy,
Great idea about signing both but it wont happen, cant afford to have 2 goalies making good money, and they will both demand good money. I doubt either one would sign knowing the other is gonna be here too.
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tuan jim Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 3:14 pm
@Pesus,
But both of them are already here for two more seasons, and at a total price of about $3 mil.
At the end of that time Bernier will still be a Restricted Free Agent.
God bless Lombardi.
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A….It would have been A+ but that hair in his picture brings it down a notch…:)
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Dan SanDonkey Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 10:41 am
@Jack, Bed head
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What’s the deal with his hair in that pic?!?
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Time for a change. Quick was one of the reasons we failed in the playoffs.
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
@Gayle, okay u blame Quick…I blame Bernier too
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Kings Fan In Temecula Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 8:48 pm
@Gayle, BOOOOOO!!! :O Go back to Anaheim
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I agree 100% Rich. Quick was dominating for stretches, but terrible during a few games. I don’t think signing both is reality. Should be an interesting call when it comes time.
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A+++++++ every goalie has their off days every player has their bad shifts or games, quick is no different. The biggest difference though is his ability to come back from crappy games and say to himself, “I need to be better. I need to play better” and he does. He always does. Quick is the apex of the Lombardi build. From the net out. Quick on his bad days. Is bad no worse than some (niemi anyone) but on his good days hes a veritable fortress infront of that net.
Hats off to quick. MVP for sure.
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number 6 Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
@Tmik,
Quick is the apex of the Lombardi build? Maybe, but DL had nothing to do with drafting him.
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jet Reply:
May 8th, 2011 at 8:31 pm
@number 6, but DL was quick to straighten him out when he strayed off course. There is lots of credit to go around on this one.
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I’d go into any building, play any opponent, and have absolutely no fear with Quick in net. I do think Quick and Kopi would be Co-MVP’s though.
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He was on the cusp of C+ and B- so I have him as a C+ by default. He still needs to work on rebound control so most of those softies won’t get past him.
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What's the frequency, Kenneth? Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 10:24 am
What does rebound control have to do with softies? I think both have a lot to do with positioning, but little to do with each other. I think he needs to continue working on it, but needs to work more on handling the puck around the net. BTW, why so hard on one of the two realistic candidates for team MVP?
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Puckn-A Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 10:42 am
@Buster, so you’ll give Bernier a D or F then?
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Kings x Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
@Buster, Let’s not forget stick handling
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historyguy Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 8:10 pm
@Buster, So, Patrick Roy at his prime must get a B+ from you?
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without Quick, the Kings don’t make the playoffs down the stretch. They also get smoked in the first round. Despite letting 20 goals in, he absolutely stole the first game won in San Jose, stopping 51 of 52 shots and some were jaw dropping at that. Every single goalie has stretches of poor games, and this year Quick showed improvement in that he was able to rebound and get his form back. This is only about Quicky so Ill leave the decisions that are coming down the road alone, but the Kings are definitely a contender with him in their uniform. Quick is MVP of the team this year, especially since Kopi could not compete down the stretch and had a slump of his own after his own torrid start.
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puck73 Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 11:13 am
@wog, Concur
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number 6 Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 2:20 pm
@wog,
Just a correction. He actually stole the Second game in SJ. In the first he wasn’t tested that much. It was 4-0
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I agree with everything that’s been said. He’s an amazing goaltender that, like everyone, has off days. But the difference is that he knows what he did wrong and learns from it, even in his best games.
And for anyone who still doesn’t think he’s among the best netminders in the league, this really just speaks for itself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM8GLOPW7xo
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Quick was fantastic this year. Yes, he had a few bobbles and didn’t play well in a couple of games, but overall he was the reason the Kings made the playoffs and almost beat San Jose.
I was one of those people who predicted Bernier would take his job by January. And it’s not that Bernier didn’t play well, it’s just that Quick was that good.
I still have concerns about Quick as he relies so much on his athleticism to make saves while Bernier relies on positioning. But even saying that Tim Thomas is still going strong and he’s similar to Quick.
As far as I’m concerned, both goalies are signed for two more years so we have at least another year and a half before DL has to consider moving one of them. And with the abundance of goalies in the league right now i’m not sure DL would get a great return on either.
The Kings are in an excellent situation in net for the first time in their history – enjoy the ride.
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puck73 Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 11:12 am
@Dave, Solid, and reasonable post.
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Overwhelmingly clear that most people will give him and A or B. If your vote doesn’t align with the democratic majority, you’re either very right or very wrong. Quick gets an A. Without a doubt, he was the Kings’ best player. Sorry Ponikarovsky. When a team can’t score more than 3 goals, they need their goalie to have a GAA less than the other teams’ and Quick’s 2.21 is A Okay. Yeah, it’s not 1.93, but those guys are freaks of nature. Quick is a solid goaltender and the best we’ve ever had. I said it. Can they sign Bernier to an extension or are they not allowed to negotiate until he is in a contract year? I might offer Bernier and Quick both extensions. We can keep both of them if we can keep the cost less than $6 million total.
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Quick was our allstar. He can be a game changer. He needs to work on his stickhandling skills. They are his weakest aspect of his game and you are only as strong as your weakest link!
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Dominick Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
@tornado12,
I think passing the puck is where he gets into trouble. Trying to decide on wether to pass it hard to a player on the 1/2 boards, or soft to a player standing 5ft away. That indecision allows opposing players to close the gap, and force him to flub. Sometimes just stopping the puck and letting your D handle it, is better. He has improved over last season though.
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A.
The Man.
The End.
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He needs to learn how to handle the puck behind the net . . .
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SingleCrown Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 10:51 am
@Cutty Sarkn3ss, amen
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Tmik Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 2:14 pm
@Cutty Sarkn3ss,
I’ll give it that.
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KingsFanFTW Reply:
May 8th, 2011 at 2:01 am
@Cutty Sarkn3ss, i agree on that
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A.
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Were is the A+ because he was above just an “A”
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Dean Lombardi told me at fanfest 2 seasons ago..”Its not how many saves you make, its when you make them” Jon Quick epitomizes this analogy. Dean also told me at that time that Jon Quick was the most competetive athlete he has ever been around. After watching this guy in 1 goal games, and the shootout the last 2 seasons I dont think I could debate Dean on that. To think that this guy is only 24, I cant imagine how clutch he might be in his 30′s. Obviously in the coming seasons, Goalies like Bernier and Jones will push Quick but I will tell you this..I dont know if he will win out or not, but because of his competitive nature I wouldnt bet against him, or count him out because knowing Quick…He will probably try even MUCH HARDER ! Lucky for us. Oh, and give him an A
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Michael J. Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 11:16 am
@puck73,
More times than one would think, when the Kings are in a close game and they need a big save Quicker comes through. He is the best goalie the Kings have had since Rogie. Bernier has his work cut out for him if he wants to take over the #1 spot.
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Duckhunter Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 2:32 pm
@puck73, Because of what you just said…I see no way that Bernier supplants Quick…if he does holy cow what a great goalie we’ll have…Quick just won’t give the coaching and GM staff a reason to play Bernier for long stretches therefore there will be a doubt that Bernier can handle the day to day grind in their mind….to me we can’t go wrong with either…one might get slightly better than the other, but both will win the Cup multiple times…if a team can put a couple in the opposing team’s net.
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This guy is stellar already, the numbers show it and he has earned the number one spot. If he could improve it would be in three areas; stick-handling behind the net, reduce the number of times he tries to poke-check and just stay tall in position, and also stop the forward lunge onto his stomach, again staying tall in position, instead.
The stick-handling did improve, it just needs to continue doing so, and I actually think it is a chemistry thing within the communication between he and his defensemen, so the performance level may not all rest on Quick alone.
In the middle of 2009-2010 Quick suddenly instituted the poke-check as a common tactic, and without much success. He has gotten more selective in using it, but NHL players know exactly the range needed, like a prizefighter knows how to stay at the end of a jab where there is no power to it. The poke-check is fine when the shooter is hurried or in tight, but the time it takes for Quick to slide the stick up and re-grip is a huge clue to a real sniper, so I just hope Quick uses it rarely and wisely.
The forward lunge needs to go completely, IMHO. I guess he thinks he is reducing the angle and time to shoot, but it is an all-or-nothing move, looks like panic, and can only succeed with a desperate glove stab that makes it hard to hold the puck even if it stops the shot, and when the puck falls out Quick is totally out of position. Maybe this is what Fox talks about when Quick tries to do too much, or scrambles too much and relies on his athleticism. I just think it is a weak technique and would much rather see him like a Patrick Roy, calm and tall and controlled, daring the shooter to find a hole that is so small only a perfect shot goes in upper corner.
If these areas improved, I am not sure how good Quick could be, but it could mean new team records and eventually, I don’t think a Vezina Trophy is beyond reasonable expectations.
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Dominick Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 12:15 pm
@Player-X,
Good take on Quick. I think a lot of his not staying tall in position is because of how he tracks the puck. He crouches extremely low to try and see the puck through legs, where other goalies will try to look around the screen to find the puck. I actually like that part of his game, but it does lead to some acrobatic upward leg kicks when a shooter moves latterally, then shoots.
I don’t mind the poke check either, because he’s perfect in the shoot out, and has perfected it in tight. During the game he is sesceptible to a few misses, but it’s an exceptable risk. Maybe like you said, he could cut down on depending on it a little.
For me the main thing is focus on inactivity, and a player suddenly breaks down the wing and lets one fly. Seems to catch him by surprise, or off gaurd a little, and I hate having to defend him for giving those up. Especially when they happen to him less than most goalies, as evidence by his low goals against average.
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He was very good, but he needs a leash so he can’t leave the crease.
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No goalie could match the type of torrid start that Quick had this season
Ahh…what about Tim Thomas?
Quick was better than good most of this season but he needs to move up again next lseason to be great.
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Dominick Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
@Bob Smith,
I’d say he’s top 5 already. Just needs more goal support to add to his win total, because he didn’t get much this season.
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PP Anybody? Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 11:04 pm
@Bob Smith, Quick beat Tim Thomas two years in a row.
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Solid “A”
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The Kings wouldn’t even be sniffing the playoffs without Quick being money in the shootouts this year. Definitely an “A”
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Gave a B+. Needs to work on a few things like others have pointed out.
My only concern with our goalie situation is that Bernier will never gets enough starts to show what he can do because TM is so in love with Quick. Not saying Bernier is better, but I’d like to find out before he gets traded. Thats my fear.
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PP Anybody? Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 11:06 pm
@Pesus, If Quick is pushing towards 40 wins a year, what difference does it make if Bernier gets more starts? Not too many 40 win goalies out there. count ‘em.
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Where’s the “A+ MVP of the season” option ?
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solid B.
Look, Quick is the best goalie this team has had since, oh, maybe Vachon.
And he is very, very good.
But A territory should be reserved for the total elite, and he is just a few short steps from that.
I think he’ll be there this coming season.
Bernier, probably about the same grade. We should keep them both for as long as possible.
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I think Quick will be the number 1 over Bernier. Lets not forget he was undefeated in shootouts, Bernier lost all his shootout matches which was huge for us considering we got 10 wins from the shootout, most in the league i think. So ask yourself with the kings going to extra minutes so often who will stay? The guy who got us through it and got us 10 wins? or the guy who got us there then lost the extra point? (we lost home ice advantage by 1 point by the way). No doubt JB is a great goalie but i dont think he’ll hold up in those scramble situations that the Kings seem to get themselves into way too much. I wish we could keep them both, I think we can keep them both and still grab a high profile forward over the next few years, but im sure if DL has the opportunity he’ll trade him on the spot. I’ll watch for Quick to improve his lateral movement over the summer, if he does that he’s got the job, if he doesnt its still questionable to me.
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PP Anybody? Reply:
May 7th, 2011 at 11:11 pm
@7holesniper, I agreed with everything til you got to the part about Quick’s lateral movement. Improve it? Find me a better goalie that springs from post to post stronger or faster than Quick. That’s one of his best assets. If you’re referring to one of the playoff games where guys were left wide open backdoor, well no one could improve enough to stop any of those goals.
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7holesniper Reply:
May 9th, 2011 at 4:15 pm
@PP Anybody?, In my opinion Bernier has better lateral movement. Quick can spring from post to post but sometimes he’s over agressive on it where JB always moves smooth calmly and smothers the play. I think if Quick improves going side to side he would get in less scramble situations which seem to be the only way to beat him most of the time. About midway through the season I noticed he wasnt as smooth, maybe he had an injury or something, but he was being beaten to the glove side a lot towards the end of the year and the sharks exposed it. Lateral pass shot to the glove side, he was making the save a lot more before and that just looked like a weakness to me towards the end of the year and the playoffs.
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Can’t ever receive an A until he does something in the playoffs and stops letting in soft five hole goals
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Easiest A on the team.
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I do not think Quick deserved any heat for the amount of goals allowed in the playoffs. Quick is the only reason that it was even a series. As much as I love the Kings, without Kopitar they are no comparison to the Sharks. So my point is that without Quick playing very well, the Kings probably would have been swept, maybe lasted 5 games, however they had no business challenging the Sharks the way they did and Quick is the only reason they did that.
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Quick + Kopi = 7 game coin toss
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I gave him a B. He needs to work on his stick work badly, although it definately showed a marked improvement in the playoffs. Unfortunately, marked improvement means average in the stick work catagory. Quick was much better in the playoffs this year compared to last. Kings were clearly beaten at the forward position against the Sharks this year and especially our so called first line.
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Quick the man if people still blame him for the lost on those games then most not see the same game as everyone
I give him an A because he been good all season long
Bernier hasnt so they need to stop blinding the facts that Bernier better than Quick cause he shutouts team like Oliers….He good but not better,Still needs more to learn he a rookie dont forget.
Quick was better than Neimi ten times better but the Sharks had better Offense than ours that why we lost because our gun power was just too weak
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A. The team’s MVP. Great attitude, always makes it the focus to share praise and success with teammates. Spent the past off season dramatically improving his conditioning. Incredible clutch play in shoot outs, was one key determining factor in making the playoffs. Especially, without Kopitar (the only other King I grade a ‘A’, I give Mitchell A-) the Kings were at a disadvantage against the Sharks, and Quick, it’s fair to say, stole two games. Excellent experience gained. Not to suggest he can never be challenged in the future by Bernier, Quick is still young in goalie years, mentally mature, dedicated, and still has upside. He’s shown all the makings of a franchise goaltender.
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I might have given an A- if it were available because he did have a few lapses. But without that choice he gets an A. As far as the Quick vs Bernier debate, I’m a Quick guy. Not only is he a great athlete but he’s just so competitive. That’s what gives him an edge over Bernier, IMO.
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i love quick. he’s so much fun to watch. i gave him an A because i think he did everything we asked him to do this year. i know that this thread is mostly a bernier vs quick debate so i’ll just say keep on riding with quick but bernier may be the better long term bet. i guess time will tell. =)
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Probably the Kings most valuable player……A easily.
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nykingfan Reply:
May 8th, 2011 at 8:38 am
@Moondoggie,
I agree
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Solid A
Quick saved our asses on so many occasions this year. How anyone could actually give him D’s and F’s is ridiculous and you should have your posting privileges pulled!
The guy’s a stud goalie. Both he and Bernier have made this easily the best one-two tandem we’ve ever had.
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His last game concerns me a lot. Two goals over the left shoulder and one over the right shoulder. That was his big weakness the year before, when he had to be constantly reminded to play upright and show the shield on the front of his jersey. The problem showed up again in game 6 at the worst time possible.
Only in the very last game did Quick come up short (I am not talking about SJs last lucky OT goal). Unfortunately it was the last game of the season – grade B.
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Marbles Reply:
May 9th, 2011 at 9:38 am
@BluLiner,
I agree, Quick doesn’t deserve an A after the playoffs. Same mistakes two consecutive years. I am not sold on Quick yet.
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Capt Jam Reply:
May 9th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
@BluLiner,
Agreed. I continue to have reservations about his mental focus. Too many “blonde” moments over the course of the year to be regarded as an elite no. 1 in the league.
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only player i gave an A to. except maybe clifford (because he played so far above his expectations).
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