Game Day: The Kings reaction that matters most

Editor’s note: This is the Thursday, March 2, edition of the “Game Day with Kevin Modesti” newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

Good morning. The Kings and their fans begin life after Jonathan Quick tonight with a game against the Montreal Canadiens at Crypto.com Arena. Let’s look at where they go from here after a glance at other sports news.

The Lakers found a way to win at Oklahoma City even though Anthony Davis was sidelined along with LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell.
The Ducks’ winning streak ended against the Capitals as John Klingberg and Dmitry Kulikov were held out because of trade possibilities.
The UCLA women’s basketball team was forced into overtime but beat Arizona State to advance in the Pac-12 tournament, while USC was upset by Oregon State.
The UC Riverside men have jumped into a tie for first place in the Big West going into tonight’s home game against UC Irvine.
Chris Taylor started at shortstop for the Dodgers and will have a role in replacing injured Gavin Lux.
Chargers GM Tom Telesco said cutting wide receiver Keenan Allen is not an option as the team fights the salary cap.
The San Felipe Stakes, a Kentucky Derby steppingstone on Saturday’s Santa Anita Handicap card, will feature four horses transferred from trainer Bob Baffert to Tim Yakteen.

Kings GM Rob Blake traded Quick, along with a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 NHL draft and a third-round pick in 2024, to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a late Tuesday-night deal that brings defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to L.A.

Yesterday, Blake called Quick the best goalie in Kings history and admitted that the trade didn’t go down well with Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty when he phoned to break the news to the two players remaining from the 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup champions.

On social media, there was immediate sympathy for Quick and nostalgia for his glory days.

But the reactions that matter most will come tonight, when we’ll see what mood the team and the fans are in as the Kings (34-20-8, third-best in the NHL’s Western Conference) start what should be a final 20-game push for a high playoff seeding.

Columnist Jim Alexander gets it right in today’s Southern California News Group papers in his clear-eyed appreciation of what Quick has meant to the Kings in 16 seasons with the team, and what his departure now means.

“With all of that said,” Alexander writes after detailing the 37-year-old’s achievements and the example heset, “you could reasonably make the case that Quick was unceremoniously and unfairly dumped, exiled to a Columbus team with the league’s worst record.

“But you also have to recognize that this was coming, if not now, then at season’s end when Quick will be an unrestricted free agent.”

Put it this way: The Kings didn’t trade the Jonathan Quick who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the 2012 playoffs and was indispensable to the 2014 championship as well. They traded the Jonathan Quick who has slipped in the past five years and fallen behind Pheonix Copley this season.

No doubt Quick would have liked to help the Kings win another Stanley Cup. But that wasn’t likely to happen with him on the ice. It has a chance to happen with his remaining value packaged in a trade for reinforcements like Gavrikov and Korpisalo.

Blake made another move yesterday with a longer view to the future, acquiring 22-year-old goalie Erik Portillo from the Buffalo Sabres in a trade for a 2023 third-round draft pick.

With 76 points, the Kings are ninth in the NHL this morning. That’s where they finished the regular season in 2014 and four spots better than they finished the regular season in 2012. There’s hope for a deep playoff run.

If that happens in part because the late-night trade that shocked L.A. hockey brings improved defense and goaltending, then Jonathan Quick will have made one final contribution to Kings history.

TODAY

Clippers are clinging to sixth place, the last guaranteed playoff spot in the conference, as they face the Warriors in San Francisco (7 p.m., TNT). Clippers update.
Kings host the Canadiens to start a stretch of 10 home dates in 11 games (7:30 p.m., BSW).
UCLA takes on Arizona in the second round of the Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament in Las Vegas (noon, Pac12N).
Pepperdine opens the West Coast Conference women’s basketball tournament vs. Santa Clara in Paradise, Nev. (noon, BSSC).
UCLA’s fourth-ranked men, playing for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, welcome Arizona State (6 p.m., ESPN). Bruins update.
USC’s men could ensure a spot in the NCAA tournament by beating eighth-ranked Arizona (8 p.m., ESPN). Trojans update.
Pepperdine’s men play Pacific and try to stay alive in the WCC tournament in Paradise, Nev. (8:30 p.m., BSSC).
Dodgers meet the Diamondbacks in Glendale, Ariz. (12:05 p.m., SNLA). Yesterday’s game report.
Angels visit the Royals in Surprise, Ariz. (12:05 p.m., no TV). Yesterday’s game report.

NEXT QUESTION

Las Vegas oddsmakers give the Kings the 10th best chance of winning the Stanley Cup, at 32-1. Are the Kings underrated? Are they overrated? Share your opinion by email (KModesti@scng.com) or on Twitter (@KevinModesti).

280 CHARACTERS

“Dennis Schröder always seems to shine best when the Lakers are down a man or two.” – Lakers beat writer Kyle Goon (@kylegoon) after Schröder shrugged off an injury and scored 26 points to lead a victory over the Thunder.

1,000 WORDS

It’s all on the line: UCLA guard Charisma Osborne and Arizona State guard Tyi Skinner scramble for the ball in overtime of the Bruins’ 81-70 victory in the Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament yesterday in Las Vegas. Photo is by David Becker for AP.

TALK BACK

Thanks for reading the newsletter. Send suggestions, comments and questions by email at KModesti@scng.com and via Twitter @KevinModesti.

Editor’s note: Thanks for reading the “Game Day with Kevin Modesti” newsletter. To receive the newsletter in your inbox, sign up here.

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