Weather affects plan to have Jonathan Quick go to the minor leagues

ST. LOUIS -- Kings assistant general manager Rob Blake was wearing his travel agent/meteorologist hat here at Thursday’s morning skate.

The initial plan was to have Kings starting goalie Jonathan Quick join the team’s minor-league affiliate, the Manchester Monarchs, for a rehabilitation assignment to get in a couple of games, starting Friday at Binghamton, N.Y.

Quick is close to returning to the lineup, having suffered a strained groin Nov. 12 at Buffalo, N.Y.

Inclement weather in the Midwest and the East probably will prevent Quick from getting to the minor-league game, Blake said. There were three goalies on the ice this morning -- it appears rookie Martin Jones will get the start -- and Quick was to leave later Thursday.

But Blake said that Quick’s connecting flight to Detroit had been canceled. Not only was there a concern about getting Quick to the game Friday, but the Kings didn’t want him stranded in the East by more bad weather, preventing him from getting back to Los Angeles at the start of next week for practice, Blake said.

[12:24 p.m. update: This just in: Quick will travel back to Los Angeles with the team after tonight’s game. So, no minors for him].

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