Jonathan Quick Swatch Card

For a couple of seasons now, Jonathan Quick has been giving Henrik Lundqvist a run for his money as the league's most consistent - and best - goalie. A Conn Smythe winner last season, a Vezina nominee, he is pretty much a lock-in for a spot on Team USA's roster for the next Olympics. It could be the first time that the Americans have stronger goaltending than Canada since the 1996 World Cup - although Team Canada was to blame for that one, having chosen Bill Ranford, Curtis Joseph and Martin Brodeur over Patrick Roy.

Quick is the main reason why his Los Angeles Kings are back in the series against the San Jose Sharks, with a 3-0 shutout in his last game to give his team a 3-2 series lead, which makes today the perfect time to feature this terrific swatch card:

It's from Panini's 2010-11 Crown Royale set (card #JQ, the Heirs To the Throne sub-set) and features a beautiful black swatch. It is numbered 126/250 and has the following text on the back:

Jonathan Bernier has been breathing down Quick's neck, looking to dislodge him from the No. 1 goaltender job in L.A. Bernier can save his breath for now, Quick looked like a wall when 2010-11 got going, winning seven of his first eight starts on the strength of an awesome 1.84 GAA.

I'm a fan of both goalies, but it's hard to argue that Quick is not deserving of his spot. I don't care how much you have to plan for the future, Quick's with the Kings for another decade and is a Vezina contender for at least 5 of those seasons. In my opinion, this is like the Roberto Luongo situation with the Vancouver Canucks prior to this season - you have to stick with the (proven) long-term commitment and trade away the prospect; they can't do that anymore, but the Kings will have to.