After Jonathan Quick had an excellent 2023-24 season with the New York Rangers, the team will again rely on the veteran backup goaltender this season. It is important that they find ways to win games while keeping star goalie Igor Shesterkin fresh in the very competitive Metropolitan Division.
Quick’s Play With the Rangers in 2023-24
The Rangers took a risk when they signed Quick to a one-year, $825,000 contract last offseason as he struggled in 2022-23 with the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas Golden Knights. He finished with a 16-15-6 record, a .882 save percentage (SV%,) a 3.41 goals-against average (GAA,) and minus-23.6 goals saved above average (GSAA).
Quick got off to a hot start for the Rangers last season, stopping 18 of 19 shots in a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken on Oct. 21 and then stopping all 29 shots he faced in a 3-0 shutout of the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 26. He followed that up by stealing a point for the team with a few spectacular saves in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild. He stopped 35 of 39 shots and gave the team a chance even though they were badly outplayed.
After Quick’s game against the Wild, he won seven consecutive starts but lost his next five as the Rangers slumped. Despite the losing streak, he did not play poorly and continued to give the team chances to win games. His play was steady even as they went through hot and cold stretches.
Quick came through for the Rangers late in the regular season as he won nine of his final 11 starts and allowed two goals or fewer in five of those games. He read plays well and rarely got caught out of position or let in soft goals. Like Shesterkin, he stepped up when the team was shorthanded and made timely saves late in close games.
Last season Quick finished with an 18-6-2 record, a .911 SV%, a 2.62 GAA, and 5.5 GSAA. He played a big role in the Rangers clinching the Presidents’ Trophy for the best record in the NHL. Despite his impressive play, Shesterkin was fantastic in the postseason so Quick did not play in the playoffs.
Louis Domingue & Dylan Garand
The Rangers signed Quick to a one-year, $1.275 million extension for this season and the hope is he will play as well as he did last season. However, he is 38 years old and he could struggle as he did in 2022-23. If that is the case, or if he or Shesterkin misses time injured, the team has a couple of internal options who could get an opportunity this season.
Louis Domingue played for the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League (AHL) last season and finished with a 16-8-4 record, a .909 SV%, and a 2.66 GAA. He also stopped 25 of 26 shots and led the Rangers to a 4-1 win over the Wild on Nov. 9 in his lone NHL appearance. The 32-year-old has spent time as a backup in the NHL and has played for seven teams. His NHL record is 60-60-10 with a .905 SV% and a 3.02 GAA.
Dylan Garand, the Rangers’ fourth-round pick in 2020, also had a solid season in goal for the Wolf Pack. The 22-year-old finished with a 16-17-5 record, a .898 SV%, and a 3.03 GAA. He had three consecutive strong seasons with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL,) finishing with a .921 SV% in both 2019-20 and 2020-21 and a .925 SV% in 2021-22.
Domingue and Garand each have a shot at earning a spot as the Rangers’ number three goalie by performing well in the preseason and the AHL in the regular season.
For the Rangers Moving Forward
The Rangers should feel confident knowing they have Shesterkin in goal. They also had very reliable play from Quick last season and it would be a big boost for the team if he can pick up where he left off. If not, they have two solid options in Domingue and Garand who could become backups in the NHL.
Either way, the Rangers will need solid play from their backup goalie as Shesterkin has dealt with injuries in the past and they should not overuse him.
