Jonathan Quick’s soon-to-be 40-year-old mettle is about to be tested, as the veteran netminder will slot in as the New York Rangers’ No. 1 goaltender while Igor Shesterkin recovers from a lower-body injury suffered Monday night that landed him on injured reserve.
“We have ultimate faith in Quickie,” Rangers head coach Mike 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.”
The two-time Stanley Cup winner’s win-loss record is unkind to just how good he’s been. Despite a 3-6-2 record, he has a .919 save percentage and a 2.23 goals-against average in 11 games entering Thursday night’s matchup against the Buffalo Sabres.
That production, however, is coming within a lighter schedule. Quick has not appeared in more than 30 games in a season since 2022-23, and he made just 20 starts last year. Before entering Monday’s loss to the Utah Mammoth in relief of Shesterkin after he got hurt, Quick had appeared in just four of the Blueshirts’ previous 19 games.
Suddenly upping the workload to that of a younger, full-time starting netminder has its risks. Spencer Martin, who began the 2025-26 season with CSKA Moscow of Russia’s KHL, will serve as his backup.
“I haven’t spoken to him about that,” Sullivan said about handling Quick’s workload. “My plan is that we’re going to feel this process 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 [goalie coach Jeff Malcolm], and we’ll communicate along the way here.”
