The Blue Jackets announced Wednesday morning that they traded defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for goaltender Jonathan Quick, a conditional 2023 first-round pick, and a 2024 third-round pick. If the Kings make the playoffs this season, the Blue Jackets will receive Los Angeles' first-round pick. If they do not make the playoffs, Columbus will receive the Kings' second-round picks in 2023 and 2024.
Gavrikov and Korpisalo have been healthy scratched due to trade-related reasons since Feb. 14 and Feb. 28, respectively.
“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 GM Jarmo Kekalainen said. “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 recorded 3-7–10 in 52 games this season and 15-58–73 in 256 regular-season games over four seasons, all with the Blue Jackets, in addition to 1-2–3 in 12 playoff games.
In 28 games this season, Korpisalo, 28, posted a record of 11-11-3 along with a .913SV% and 3.17 GAA. In 210 regular-season games across eight seasons, all of them being in Columbus, he went 87-78-24 with a .907SV% and a 3.06 GAA while posting a 3-5-0 record with a .941SV% and 1.90 GAA in nine playoff games.
Since Dec. 31, Korpisalo has posted a save percentage of .920 or better in eight of 14 appearances, vaulting himself into trade conversations ahead of Friday’s deadline.
Gavrikov is in the final year of a three-year contract, earning $2.8M against the cap and Korpisalo is in the final year of a one-year contract, earning $1.3M against the cap. Both are pending unrestricted free agents.
Quick, 37, was selected by the Kings with the 72nd overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft. This season, he’s posted an 11-13-4 record with an .876SV% and 3.50 GAA in 31 games. In 16 NHL seasons, all with Los Angeles, he’s played in 743 regular-season games, posting a record of 370-275-82 with a .911SV% and a 2.46 GAA and winning the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2014 and 2018. Additionally, he’s registered a playoff record of 49-43 with a .921SV% and a 2.31 GAA in 92 playoff games, including winning the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy in 2012 and winning another Stanley Cup in 2014.
While Quick, who is in the final year of a 10-year contract, has a cap hit of $5.8M, his actual salary for this season is $2.5M. He is a pending unrestricted free agent.
