The Los Angeles Kings achieved their aim of including a top quality defenceman close to the commerce deadline. It got here with a heavy price.
The Kings acquired defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo in a commerce with Columbus Blue Jackets. In return, Los Angeles despatched two-time Stanley Cup profitable goaltender Jonathan Quick, a conditional 2023 first-round draft choose and a third-rounder in 2024.
“Jonathan Quick is a two-time Stanley Cup winner who has been an excellent goaltender in our league for a very long time and this deal supplies us with draft capital that will likely be helpful as we transfer ahead as a corporation,” Blue Jackets common supervisor Jarmo Kekalainen stated in an announcement.
“It’s by no means simple to commerce gamers like Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo as they’ve been distinctive Blue Jackets however given our present place these strikes had been in our membership’s finest curiosity.”
The NHL commerce deadline is Friday at 3 p.m. ET.
The first-rounder is conditional on the Kings making the playoffs, as anticipated. If they don’t, Columbus will get a second-round choose from L.A. every of the subsequent two drafts as a part of the commerce accomplished late Tuesday night time and introduced Wednesday.
To say Jonathan Quick is sad with the commerce, I’m instructed, is “an understatement.” <br><br>The whole <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/LAKings?src=hash&ref_src=twsrcpercent5Etfw”>#LAKings</a> group was a bit down after the sport, a win, and you may understandably see it in Anze Kopitar’s face after a 4-goal night time.<br><br>Tough deal, Kings buying and selling a franchise legend.
—@frank_seravalli
Quick backstopped the Kings to their Cup titles in 2012 and ’14. He received the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2012 after recording three shutouts in 20 begins. He additionally allowed solely seven targets within the six-game finals victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Quick is within the last season of a 10-year, $58 million US contract however had been supplanted because the Kings No. 1 goaltender by Pheonix Copley. It’s unclear if Columbus will preserve Quick or flip him to a contender earlier than the commerce deadline Friday.
Copley No. 1 in L.A.
The 37-year previous Quick had began three of the final six video games. He made 16 saves in final Friday’s 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders to choose up his 370th profession win, which surpassed Tom Barrasso for third place on the wins checklist by a U.S.-born goaltender in NHL historical past.
He is 11-13-4 on the season with a 3.50 goals-against common, .876 save share and one shutout.
Quick, a third-round choose by the Kings in 2005, additionally holds the franchise information for goalies in video games performed (743) and shutouts (57).
Gavrikov has three targets and 10 factors in 52 video games however has not performed since Feb. 11. He was anticipated to be dealt final week to the Boston Bruins earlier than that fell via.
Blue Jackets will attempt to shortly discover the market earlier than Friday’s deadline to see if there’s curiosity on a playoff group for pending UFA Jonathan Quick. Which has has been communicated to the veteran goalie, and nicely, little doubt can be a fascinating end result for him.
—@PierreVLeBrun
Gavrikov was amongst Columbus’ leaders in ice time. He is also a left-handed shooter and a top quality penalty killer, that are two areas the place the Kings have been missing.
Los Angeles is tied with Vegas for many factors within the Pacific Division with 76. The Kings received to the playoffs final season for the primary time since 2018 however misplaced in seven video games to Edmonton within the first spherical. They haven’t received a post-season sequence since profitable the Cup in 2014.
Korpisalo had received three of his final 4 begins together with posting a .921 save share. He made 9 begins for the Blue Jackets through the 2020 playoffs.
Copley is 18-4-2 since making his debut on Dec. 6. The wins are tied with Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy for essentially the most throughout that span, however Copley’s .899 save share is twenty fourth amongst 31 goalies who’ve performed 18 or extra video games over the previous three-plus months.
Korpisalo’s .915 save share since early December is ranked eleventh. His total file this season is 11-11-3 with a 3.17 goals-against common and .913 save share.
Gavrikov and Korpisalo are additionally within the last yr of their contracts and are anticipated to be unrestricted free brokers on the finish of the season.
Canucks purchase Hronek from Red Wings
The Vancouver Canucks have added to their blue line, buying defenceman Filip Hronek from the Detroit Red Wings.
The commerce, introduced Wednesday, sees Vancouver ship Detroit a pair of draft picks, together with the conditional 2023 first-round choose the Canucks received from the New York Islanders in a deal for centre Bo Horvat and Vancouver’s second-round choice on this yr’s draft.
In addition to the 25-year-old Hronek, the Red Wings are sending the Canucks their 2023 fourth-round choose.
Hronek has 9 targets and 29 assists in 60 video games for Detroit this season.
Selected by Detroit within the second spherical of the 2016 draft, the six-foot, 190-pound blue liner from Hradec Kralove, Czechia, has amassed 156 factors (30 targets, 126 assists) and 162 penalty minutes over 305 regular-season video games with the Red Wings.
Vancouver’s defence has been left skinny by accidents and trades in current days, with the membership dealing veteran blue liner Luke Schenn to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a third-round choose on Tuesday, and buying and selling D-man Riley Stillman to the Buffalo Sabres for a prospect on Monday.
The Canucks have additionally positioned defencemen Ethan Bear (upper-body) and Oliver Ekman-Larsson (ankle) on the injured reserve checklist.
