James Guillory-Imagn ImagesWith Igor Shesterkin placed on injured reserve and expected to miss at least the next week, the mantle of the New York Rangers' starting goaltending position falls onto Jonathan Quick’s shoulders.
Quick notably filled in for Shesterkin when he suffered a minor injury during the 2023-24 season, but he has been primarily utilized as the backup goalie throughout his tenure with the Rangers thus far.
Mike Sullivan expressed confidence in Quick as he gets thrust into this prominent role.
“We have ultimate faith in Quickie,” Sullivan said. “He's an elite goaltender. He's a fierce competitor. His body work I believe speaks for itself. Look what he's done for our team this year. Every time he goes in, he makes timely save after timely save. I’ve got a ton of confidence in his ability to help us.”
This season, Quick has posted a 3-6-2 record, .919 save percentage, and 2.23 goals against average.
Despite still proving he could perform at a high level, there’s no hiding the fact that he’s 39 years old, and overworking him could pose a problem for the Blueshirts. The veteran goalie hasn’t played more than 30 games in a season since the 2022-23 campaign.
Sullivan hinted at the scenario of utilizing both Quick and Spencer Martin, who was recently called up from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League.
“My plan is, we're going to feel this process out,” Sullivan said of his goaltending plan while Shesterkin is out. “Obviously, we've got a lot of games here in a short period of time. That's going to require two goaltenders, no matter who's in the role. But Quickie and I will work together with (Jeff Malcolm), our goalie coach, and we'll communicate along the way here.”
The Rangers signed Martin to a two-year, two-way deal on Nov. 12 after his contract with CSKA Moscow of the KHL was bought out.
Sullivan described the team’s choice to call up Martin as opposed to calling up goalie prospect Dylan Garand as a decision based on performance.
“You don't hope for anyone to get hurt on any position, but for me, it's exciting to get here and be a part of this,” Martin said.
In all likelihood, it will be Quick who takes on the bulk of the starts in the wake of Shesterkin’s absence.
When Quick was placed on injured reserve and missed six games earlier in the season, Shesterkin started all six games, and while this is not the same situation, it’s now Quick’s turn to take on an expanded role.