TRADE - L.A. Kings Move On From 2x Stanley Cup Champion & He's Not Happy About It
The Los Angeles Kings have traded G Jonathan Quick to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for G Joonas Korpisalo and D Vladislav Gavrikov, per Elliotte Friedman and Frank Seravalli.
Joining Quick is a conditional 2023 1st round pick and a 2024 3rd round pick. The condition, per Friedman, stipulates that if the Kings clinch a playoff spot this season, it's a 2023 1st; should they fail to qualify, it becomes two picks - a 2023 and 2024 2nd round pick.
With LA/CLB working on a Korpisalo/Gavrikov deal, word is one of the pieces in return will be Jonathan Quick. Loved watching him during his fantastic run with the Kings, backbone of their two Stanley Cup championships. A first-round pick will also be involved.— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 1, 2023
The Kings - who currently hold 2nd place in the Pacific Division - say goodbye to the backbone of not one but two Stanley Cup-winning teams; it is the end of the Jonathan Quick era, which spanned 16 seasons.
The 37-year old is on the back-nine of his career, and with his contract expiring after this season, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see him ride off into the sunset this summer.
According to Seravalli, Jonathan Quick is none too pleased with the move. Hardly a surprise...who wants to move from Los Angeles to Columbus, OH anytime of year? Especially a 37-year old after a mini-Chernobyl just happened.
To say Jonathan Quick is unhappy with the trade, I'm told, is "an understatement."
The entire #LAKings team was a bit down after the game, a win, and you could understandably see it in Anze Kopitar's face after a 4-goal night.
Tough deal, Kings trading a franchise legend.— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) March 1, 2023
Would Quick go so far as to refuse to report to Columbus? It's certainly an interesting scenario to entertain...
As far as the Kings are concerned, they desperately needed to upgrade at the goaltending position, and Korpisalo is at least a lateral move if not an upgrade. The real prize is Gavrikov, but he is an unrestricted free agent after this season and an extension was not part of the trade.
While they improve in the short-term, is it enough to make a deep playoff run? And was it worth pissing off a club legend?
Only time will tell...
The Blue Jackets have acquired G Jonathan Quick, a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from the LA Kings in exchange for D Vladislav Gavrikov and G Joonas Korpisalo.@RuoffMortgage | #CBJ https://t.co/iRw1xlOyYE— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) March 1, 2023
| POLL | ||
MARS 1 | 882 ANSWERS TRADE - L.A. Kings Move On From 2x Stanley Cup Champion & He's Not Happy About It Did the Kings owe it to Jonathan Quick to let him retire w/ the club? | ||
| Yes, he's a club legend | 585 | 66.3 % |
| No, strictly business | 242 | 27.4 % |
| See results | 55 | 6.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Patrick Maroon | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Lukas Reichel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Matthew Boldy | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Travis Konecny | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Anze Kopitar | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Quinton Byfield | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Noah Cates | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Sean Couturier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jonathan Drouin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brock Faber | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Marcus Johansson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Adrian Kempe | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Matvei Michkov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Martin Pospisil | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kevin Rooney | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Igor Sharangovich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Carter Verhaeghe | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bobby Brink | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kevin Fiala | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||