Player evaluation: Quick

JONATHAN QUICK
This season: 35-21-13 record, 1.95 goals-against average, .929 save percentage, 10 shutouts.
The good: What is there left to say? Not only would the Kings not have won the Stanley Cup without Quick, they probably wouldn’t even have qualified for the playoffs. A marginal NHL prospect just five years ago, Quick has become a model for every prospective NHL goalie to follow. He has worked extremely hard on all areas of his game, and his conditioning is top-notch. Quick is adored by teammates because he takes credit for nothing and takes the blame for everything. He is arguably the most competitive player on the roster and despises losing, even when he’s facing teammates in practice drills.
The bad: It would be downright silly to list any glaring negatives. Quick was excellent. Even the areas of his game that have troubled him in the past — over-playing the puck, mis-handling the puck behind his net — were not as pronounced this season as they were in previous seasons. Going forward, Quick will have to be mindful of keeping his temper in check. He will now by recognized, by opponents, as an elite goalie in the NHL, and it’s reasonable to think that Quick will encounter more players bumping and poking him around the net and trying to get him off his game. Quick is best when he’s composed and focused.
Going forward: The deal is done, and it’s quite likely that Quick will be a part of the Kings organization for the rest of his career. There’s almost zero chance that Quick will rest on his laurels and become content, even though he’s now a Stanley Cup champion with a massive contract. That’s simply not in Quick’s nature. All that’s left is for the Kings to cross their fingers and hope Quick stays healthy. He plays an athletic, Gumby-like style, but Quick is almost militant about making sure his body is in good shape. For the better part of two decades, the Kings searched for a No. 1 goalie. Now they have a great one.