Evaluating Vegas' ECHL Prospects Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTk2MjUzNTI2NDE2OTU4NzY4/usatsi_17719829.jpg] Jonathan Quick's time in Columbus is over before it even began. The Columbus Blue Jackets dealt the goaltender to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, roughly 48 hours after they acquired him from the Los Angeles Kings in a move that shocked the hockey world. The Golden Knights sent back goaltender Michael Hutchinson and a seventh-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft. As per the terms of the deal, the Blue Jackets agreed to retain 50 percent of Quick's salary for the remainder of the season. Quick, who is 37 years old and in the final year of his current contract, may not be too far from retirement at this point in his career and is now being given the chance to chase one final Stanley Cup. How effective he'll be in that chase, however, remains in serious question. Quick has had a rough season for the Kings thus far, appearing in 31 games and recording an 11-13-4 record with one shutout and a shockingly low .876 save percentage – which ranks second-last for NHL goaltenders who have played a minimum of 20 games. To this point in the 2022-23 campaign, Quick has not performed like an NHL-caliber goaltender, something which undoubtedly factored into his sudden trade away from the only organization he's ever known. Perhaps a fresh start is truly what Quick needs. Just last season, the two-time Cup winner finished with a 23-13-9 record and a .910 save percentage, keeping the Kings afloat all the way through to Game 7 of their first-round series versus the Edmonton Oilers. If Quick can recapture some of that success through the final stretch of this season, the Golden Knights will be singing his praises.
