Kings trade Quick, two picks to Blue Jackets in deal for Gavrikov, Korpisalo
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The Los Angeles Kings are trading goaltender Jonathan Quick and two draft picks to the Columbus Blue Jackets as part of a deal for defenceman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.
A conditional 2023 first-round pick and 2024 third-round pick are also heading to Columbus in the trade. The first-round pick is conditional on the Kings making the playoffs, should Los Angeles miss the postseason, Columbus will receive two second-round picks (in 2023 and 2024). Los Angeles sits tied for the top spot in the Pacific Division entering play Wednesday with Vegas Golden Knights at 76 points but with two games played.
"Jonathan Quick is a two-time Stanley Cup winner who has been an outstanding goaltender in our league for a long time and this deal provides us with draft capital that will be valuable as we move forward as an organization," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen. "It's never easy to trade players like Vladislav Gavrikov and Joonas Korpisalo as they have been exceptional Blue Jackets but given our current position these moves were in our club's best interest. They are wonderful individuals, and we will always appreciate the contributions they made while they were here."
Gavrikov, 27, has three goals and seven assists in 46 games this season, his fourth with the Blue Jackets.
He is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the season, as he plays in the final year of a three-year, $8.4 million deal ($2.8 million AAV) he signed in 2020.
In 250 career games with the Blue Jackets, Gavrikov has 15 goals and 58 assists. He was originally selected by the club in the sixth round (159th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Korpisalo, 28, is 11-11-3 in 28 appearances this season with a .913 save percentage and 3.17 goals-against average.
A third-round pick (62nd overall) by Columbus at the 2012 NHL Draft, Korpisalo skated in the 2020 NHL All-Star Game.
A pending unrestricted free agent, Korpisalo is on a one-year, $1.3 million deal.
End of an era in Los Angeles
Quick, 37, is 11-13-4 in 31 appearances in 2022-23, recording a .876 save percentage and 3.50 GAA.
Originally drafted 72nd overall by Los Angeles at the 2005 NHL Draft, Quick backstopped the Kings to two Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014. He earned the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP in 2012 and is a two-time winner of the William M. Jennings Trophy (2014, 2018).
The Milford, Conn., product is a pending unrestricted free agent in the final season of a 10-year, $58 million contract with an AAV of $5.8 million.
Quick has appeared in 743 career NHL games, all with the Kings, with a career .911 save percentage and 2.46 GAA.