If you are the Kings, do you have comfort in starting Pheonix Copley or Jonathan Quick in Game 1 of a playoff series?
OK, we’re not there yet. Fine. Here is another one: Are you comfortable with Copley or Quick as the backbone for the playoff push over the final 2 1/2 months?
It is a question that general manager Rob Blake and coach Todd McLellan must contend with in the weeks heading to the March 3 trade deadline. Right now, it’s obvious that McLellan is more comfortable with Copley, as the 30-year-old has been tabbed to start 17 of the Kings’ last 21 games.
With more efforts from Copley like in Friday’s 4-3 win at Florida, in which he made a career-high 45 saves, there may be fewer questions about the team’s goaltending. The win pushed Los Angeles into first place in the Pacific Division. Copley has won three straight starts and is 15-3-0 since his call-up from the AHL to take Cal Petersen’s place.
But before the Kings’ three-game win streak, Copley was also pulled in back-to-back starts. His save percentage before Friday was a pedestrian .897. Meanwhile, Quick hasn’t won a game in 59 days and was beaten on two of his three shots Saturday in the Kings’ ragged 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay. He finished with 20 stops in 25 shots in his first action in a week.
Can Copley be their rock for the stretch run and be the definitive choice for a Game 1? Can Quick ever get back a net that was once his? Will Petersen get a second chance? Or does Blake need to shore up a crucial position, since his team could make some noise in what looks to be a wide-open Western Conference?
If he does, here are 10 options the Kings could look at. We’ll put them in alphabetical order and let you judge who should be coveted and who needs to be avoided.
Age: 32
Contract status: $2.875 million AAV this season, $3.85 million AAV for next two, UFA in 2025
Why it could be done: Allen would be a tight fit for the rest of this season but there’s no salary cap in the playoffs and his AAV wouldn’t get in the way of giving raises to incoming RFAs Mikey Anderson and Gabriel Vilardi. He has plenty of experience and his .924 save percentage in playoff duty isn’t too shabby.
Why it might not: It’d be one thing if Allen were working on an expiring contract. The two-year extension that Montreal signed him to last October now looks more like an obstacle in terms of trade possibilities. The Canadiens may also want to keep him around to mentor youngsters Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau.
Age: 26
Contract status: $2.8 million AAV, RFA in 2023
Why it could be done: Even with the Devils taking a big step forward this season, Blackwood has lost starts to Vitek Vanecek and it feels like his time in Newark is running out. He could be available, especially because New Jersey could call up Akira Schmid to back up Vanecek.
Why it might not: Blackwood’s inconsistency has kept him from claiming the net as a No. 1 after his first two seasons held a lot of promise. The Kings have already been dealing with a level of inconsistency in net and have felt that Copley has given them stability Blackwood might not bring.
Age: 29
Contract status: $6.4 million AAV, UFA in 2027
Why it could be done: One front-office failure has been the inability to cultivate a high-level goalie pipeline from within. Petersen was that guy. Gibson could remain in Southern California and could be instantly rejuvenated on a playoff-bound club and be a solid bridge to the next “goalie of the future.” He can still be an asset, as evident by his winning 41-save effort against Colorado on Thursday.
Why it might not: Mostly, it’s the contract. For one, Anaheim would have to take back Petersen just to begin the cap-managing calculations. It is an iffy (and pricey) proposal on both ends. The number of Kings-Ducks trades can be counted on one hand. And it’s going on five years since Gibson last appeared in a playoff game. His postseason numbers, which have included one long run, aren’t all that hot.
Age: 36
Contract status: $1.25 million AAV, UFA in 2023
Why it could be done: A .912 save percentage across a few NHL stops is nothing to sniff at and he’s posted a .906 behind Jordan Binnington on a wildly erratic St. Louis club this season. His best season came in Barry Trotz’s goalie-friendly system, in which he teamed with Robin Lehner to win the Jennings Trophy.
Why it might not: The fact that Greiss has made only 14 starts — 11 coming with the Islanders in 2016 — in four postseasons defines that he’s rarely been the main option. He’s had a nice career but is getting up there in age and has been in decline since his days on Long Island.
Age: 28
Contract status: $1.3 million AAV, UFA in 2023
Why it could be done: The expiring contract is very manageable for a team that’s had to do some cap gymnastics, and Korpisalo has been very good for a bad Columbus team. Anyone who watched his starts against Calgary and Edmonton last week can see that he could win games behind a better defensive club. He’s healthy again, has a .907 save percentage, is making 1.3 saves above average, and GMs will remember his outstanding 2020 playoff run.
Why it might not: Blake could stay on the conservative path, given his trade history of late, and won’t want to send Quick, the franchise wins leader with 367 victories, out with a whimper after a 16-year run in Los Angeles that made him a certified Franchise legend.
Age: 27
Contract status: $1.5 million, UFA in 2023
Why it could be done: The price is right, and he can be a short-term fix or a longer-term option if he shows well. Lankinen is never going to supplant Juuse Saros but has put up some good numbers as his backup with the Predators and earned a few top-five Calder Trophy votes two years ago in Chicago.
Why it might not: Lankinen has made 76 NHL starts (none in the playoffs) and just 10 of those have come this season. Blake may have more trust in Copley or Quick in a pressure situation than the largely untested Finn.
Age: 33
Contract status: $2.4 million AAV, UFA in 2023
Why it could be done: For all that Carolina has done right in assembling a tenacious, deep club, it has some uncertainty in net. Moving Raanta’s expiring deal could net them a future asset and turn the crease over to talented 23-year-old Pyotr Kochetkov, who is stuck behind two veterans.
Why it might not: Raanta has always had the game to deliver No. 1-level results. Unfortunately, the affable netminder has often dealt with injuries over his 10 seasons. The Hurricanes will be leery of parting with the veteran, especially with Frederik Andersen having an injury-plagued season. Raanta, who had a 2.26 goals-against average in their 2022 playoffs, is probably their insurance policy.
Age: 34
Contract status: $2.25 million AAV, UFA in 2023
Why it could be done: Teams have always been interested in Reimer, because he’s usually been solid and doesn’t cost a fortune or clog up a team’s cap structure. Even on a rough San Jose club, Reimer is quietly terrific when the Sharks are short-handed and is one reason their penalty-killing numbers have been excellent for two years running.
Why it might not: Who knows how keen the Kings and Sharks are on helping a rival out, even if they’re in different spaces now? Reimer is the classic quality 1B netminder who has never started more than 46 games in a season and has played in only 11 playoff games — seven of them coming in 2013 during that ill-fated Toronto–Boston series. His .890 save percentage at even strength this season is a career-low.
Age: 35
Contract status: $3.66 million AAV, UFA in 2023
Why it could be done: McLellan had Talbot in Edmonton and leaned on him in 2016-17, when he won 42 games and finished fourth in Vezina Trophy voting. He’s made 31 playoff starts and has a .921 save percentage, along with winning nearly half of his postseason decisions.
Why it might not: Talbot is on an expiring contract so there’s no long-term commitment, but the cap hit would likely necessitate moving a salaried player out, and Blake may not be eager to disrupt a regular lineup. Ottawa is already retaining salary on Matt Murray and may not want more dead money on its ledger. Talbot is also nursing an injury but isn’t expected to be out long-term.
Age: 26
Contract status: $2.725 million AAV, UFA in 2025
Why it could be done: Vejmelka has been one of the bright spots on an Arizona team that’s had an eye on the future ever since GM Bill Armstrong took over. He has 17 quality starts and three shutouts, including a recent 33-save blanking of St. Louis. He has also handled a heavy workload and would give LA a proven lead goalie, even after this season.
Why it might not: Similar to defenseman Jakob Chychrun, the Coyotes don’t have to trade Vejmelka now. They’ve got their No. 1 goalie locked in for two more seasons on a very reasonable contract. They could decide to build a better team around him. The Kings could also balk at Armstrong’s selling price for someone who has no playoff track record.
(Photo of Jonathan Quick and Pheonix Copley: Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)
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