Per Larry Brooks, Rangers backup goalie Jaro Halak will be testing the free agent market and likely won’t return to the Blueshirts. Chris Drury will now be in need of not only finding a backup goalie, but finding a competent one for somewhat cheap. Jonathan Quick could be an option for the Rangers, one that has been mentioned a few times already, and he certainly checks most of the boxes for the Rangers, including some that may not have been thought of before.
In a backup, the Rangers need a guy who can competently play 20-25 games at an adequate enough level to keep Igor Shesterkin rested. Quick is certainly capable of that, even if there are some questions about his ability to convert from starter to backup, as that requires a completely different mindset. Quick should be up to that task.
So why Quick and not perhaps a younger backup? The answer is in the contract.
At 37 years old, Quick is eligible for a one year, bonus laden contract. Given the cap issues the Rangers have, there is an opportunity for them to save about $700,000 in cap space by avoiding a $1.5 million backup goalie, like Halak was last year. Quick can take a league minimum contract with easily attainable bonuses, kicking that cap hit to next season with the bonus overages. It’s a unique way to get around some cap issues.
Of course, this assumes Quick will take a contract like this and he will take a pure backup role. Naturally we won’t know more until tomorrow.
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