Kings trade Quick to Jackets for Gavrikov and Korpisalo
The Los Angeles Kings achieved their goal of adding a quality defenseman near the trade deadline. It came with a heavy cost.
The Kings acquired defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in a trade with Columbus Blue Jackets. In return, Los Angeles sent twotime Stanley Cup winning goaltender Jonathan Quick, a conditional 2023 firstround draft pick and a thirdrounder in 2024.
“The team's performance over the last month put us in position that we felt as a staff we needed to go out and address needs that we had identified previously to help this team continue to push for the playoffs,” Kings vice president and general manager Rob Blake said during a conference call on Wednesday.
Los Angeles is tied with Vegas for most points in the Pacific Division with 76. The Kings got to the playoffs last season for the first time since 2018 but lost in seven games to Edmonton in the first round. They have not won a postseason series since winning the Cup in 2014.
The first-rounder is conditional
on the Kings making the playoffs, as expected. If they do not, Columbus — which has a league-low 46 points — gets a secondround pick from L.A. each of the next two drafts as part of the trade completed late Tuesday night and announced Wednesday.
Quick found out about the trade in a phone call from Blake after Tuesday night's 6-5 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets. Blake was not with the team during the five-game road trip.
“There was shock and disappointment,” Blake said. “The setting wasn't perfect because of the time. That was
not an easy decision and I'll reiterate how important he (Quick) is to the franchise and the organization.”
Blake added that he talked to captain Anze Kopitar and defenseman Drew Doughty after his call with Quick to let them what happened.
Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said they had tried to reach an extension with Gavrikov, but were unable to come to terms. Korpisalo was also in the final season of his contract.
“Both of them are pending unrestricted free agents and where we are in our process and in the season right now, we felt that it was a necessary move for our future,” Kekalainen said.
Quick backstopped the Kings to their Cup titles in 2012 and `14. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2012 after recording three shutouts in 20 starts. He also allowed only seven goals in the six-game finals victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Quick is in the final season of a 10-year, $58 million contract but had been supplanted as the Kings No. 1 goaltender by Pheonix Copley. It's unclear if Columbus will keep Quick or flip him to a contender before the trade deadline Friday.
The 37-year old Quick had started three of the last six games. He made 16 saves in last Friday's 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders to pick up his 370th career win, which surpassed Tom Barrasso for third place on the wins list by a U.S.-born goaltender in NHL history.
He is 11-13-4 on the season with a 3.50 goals-against average, .876 save percentage and one shutout.
Quick — a third-round pick by the Kings in 2005 — also holds the franchise records for goalies in games played (743) and shutouts (57).