Jonathan Quick won’t be going anywhere after all. The Rangers announced today that they are bringing him on as Director of Goaltending Development, reporting into the recently elevated Director of Player Development, Tanner Glass. What the role entails is yet to be fully clarified, though at the very least it appears he’ll be working with the prospects. At the moment that means the recently drafted Danaii Shaiikov along with last year’s free agent signing Callumn Tung. It may also yet including Dylan Garand, depending on whether the Rangers avoid losing him on waivers.
The role appears to have been adapted for Quick, and does not appear to be one-for-one replacement of Benoit Allaire’s role after he retired this season following 22 seasons with the franchise.
Today’s netminders have increasingly become focused on the technical approach to the game, highlighted particularly by the rise of the Russian goaltenders like Andrej Vasilevskiy in Tampa and the Rangers’ own Igor Shesterkin. How Quick’s more reflexive approach translates to the next generation of goalies remains to be seen, though he can talk a lot to how to approach the game at the very least.
A WELL TRAVELLED PATH
Having finished up his three-year stint with New York to round out his NHL career, it is not perhaps surprising that Chris Drury hired him. Former Rangers such as Jed Ortmeyer – recently let go, Tanner Glass, Ryane Clowe, Marc Staal, Blake Wheeler, Adam Graves, Henrik Lundqvist, Jeff Beukeboom and Steve Eminger, all hold various roles in Drury’s front-office, and that’s not even including former Ranger prospect Mike Sullivan as head coach, and Hartford alum Jeff Malcolm.
A handful of those have also made the transition directly from the ice to a role with the organization, though many are more recent hires after finishing up their careers elsewhere before rejoining the team.
BRASS IS BACK TOO
Derrick Brassard is also returning to join Tanner Glass’s team. He’ll also be working on player development, an area that really struggled under Ortmeyer, with a string of failures that date back into the latter years of the previous front office. The 38 year old made a surprise return to pro hockey last season, signing on with Genève‑Servette HC of the Swiss Nationaliga, though appears his return was more a cameo that a true resumption of his career. He had off the ice since the end of the 2022-23 season, when he suffered a torn ankle-ligament.
Brassard joins Staal, former NHLer Antti Mietinen and Quick in the reconstructed player development team. We can only hope that there are improvements in this area after a number of higher profile failures.
