The Los Angeles Kings have traded franchise-icon Jonathan Quick to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a package that includes goaltender Joonas Korpisalo and defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov.
The Kings are also sending a first-round pick to the Blue Jackets in the trade.
Quick, who won two Stanley Cups with the Kings in 2012 and 2014, is in the final year of his contract and carries a $5.8-million cap hit. His 16-year career with the Kings included two Jennings trophies and the Conn Smythe trophy in 2012, as well as two seasons where he was a finalist for the Vezina. He is the Kings’ all-time leader in most goaltending categories, including games played (743), wins (370) and shutouts (57).
However, the 37-year-old Quick has seen his numbers drop in recent years and the Kings — who are competing for first place in the Western Conference — chose to upgrade in net, giving goalie Pheonix Copley a younger tandem partner in Korpisalo.
Quick backed Copley up during Tuesday’s 6-5 shootout win over the Winnipeg Jets.
Korpisalo has split netminding duties with Elvis Merzlikins for a Blue Jackets team near the bottom of the standings this season.
The native of Pori, Finland, is 10-11-3 with 3.06 goals-against average and .914 save percentage this season. He was held out of the Blue Jackets’ win over Buffalo on Tuesday for “trade-related reasons.”
Korpisalo is on a one-year, $1.3-million contract this season.
Gavrikov, 27, has been kept out of the Blue Jackets lineup since Feb. 14, also for “trade-related reasons.”
The six-foot-three, 221-pound defender averages more than 20 minutes of ice time per game and kills penalties.
The Russian had a spike in offence to 33 points last season, but that is not the primary strength of his game, nor what he was acquired to add. Gavrikov led Columbus in shorthanded ice time per game, isn’t afraid to block shots and tends to do well getting in the right lanes. He’s the classic type of defenceman teams crave for their bottom pair (at least) heading toward and into the playoffs.
Gavrikov carries a $2.8-million cap hit and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Quick’s trade comes after the Chicago Blackhawks went through a similar breakup with an all-time great, moving Patrick Kane to the New York Rangers. Kane and Quick were teammates on the United States Olympic team which won the silver medal in 2010. The game — in which Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal for Canada — was 13 years ago Tuesday.
The Blue Jackets visit the Kings on March 16.
