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The Los Angeles Kings entered the season with a goaltending tandem of Cal Petersen and Jonathan Quick once again, but things have gone a little differently than expected.
Petersen signed a three-year extension with the Kings this summer, which is set to kick in for the start of the 2022-23 season. With the deal carrying a $5 million AAV, the Kings were clearly willing to invest in him as the long-term starter going forward.
It wasn’t any sort of a surprise decision, as Petersen had been taking the reins from Quick and Petersen’s numbers had warranted the shift. He had consistently posted solid numbers with the Kings in a limited sample size before last season, while Quick hadn’t managed even a .905 save percentage since the 2017-18 season.
Last season, Petersen started 32 of the team’s 56 games, which would be a pace of 47 starts per 82 games, while Quick had started just 22 games, a pace of just 32 starts per 82. Petersen posted a .911 save percentage while Quick’s sat at just .898, and it seemed as though the shift to Petersen as a legitimate starter would continue this season.
However, Petersen has struggled this year, with just an .893 save percentage. This has led to a reliance on Jonathan Quick, who’s been excellent so far this season, holding a .931 save percentage. Quick is now also taking some of the workload back from Petersen, having started 14 games compared to Petersen’s 11 games.
It’s certainly an interesting turn of events. The 35-year-old Quick is having a huge bounce back year and has been a key part of the team having a winning record this season, while Petersen, who's 27 years old and seemed set to take another step, has struggled to find his footing.
Going forward, it seems likely that the Kings will continue to play the netminders fairly evenly. I’d also note that there likely isn’t much to worry about when it comes to Petersen long-term, as it’s still early in the season.
At the very least though, it’s a somewhat unexpected turn of events and something to keep an eye on as the season continues.
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