As they've been designed, it was the worst possible scenario.

Yes, Norris and Selke winners Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar are superior talents relative to their positional reference points, but the allocation of resources within the Los Angeles Kings meant those players had support, while workhorse goaltender Jonathan Quick did not.

So when Quick tore some tissue on a push less than 20 minutes into the season - leaving Los Angeles with a player that negotiated a contract worth 1.2 percent of the team's total pie at its most important position - it caused paralysis.

The Kings were summarily outscored 11-5 with Jeff Zatkoff in goal across three games - each a loss - as the franchise flirted with its worst start in history.

It became clear that this team, one not ready to retool, needed a goalie that could not only stop pucks, but instill confidence into a dispirited group. The expectation was this player would arrive via trade. Instead, he hopped over the bench in relief, after Zatkoff allowed six goals on 17 shots in a third straight loss to begin the season.

Three weeks later, in his 10th consecutive start Tuesday night, Peter Budaj made 19 saves versus the Maple Leafs, recording his second shutout in as many games, and earning his seventh victory of the year.

Budaj hasn't been spectacular for the Corsi Kings, who've allowed only 22 shots per game with him in goal, and remain the NHL's premier possession team. But with a .920 save percentage, he's essentially served the same function as Quick, earning the confidence of his teammates.

"You're not going to replace a Jonathan Quick," Jake Muzzin told theScore before the game, "but (his injury's) given an opportunity for another goaltender to step in - and Budaj's been awesome for us.

"And we need him to continue it, because Quickie's not coming back any time soon. We need him to continue playing well."

Tyler Toffoli added: "It's not something that we want, or thought we would be doing, but Budaj's been great. And we've shut it down a bit, just playing our game."

The Kings' reliance on Quick - and that their primary focus is placing a seal-tight lock on the defensive zone without their No. 1 stopper - suggests the trust between Budaj and Los Angeles' two-time championship core could remain an ongoing process.

But there's a faction within the Kings' dressing room and front office that was sold long before Quick went down.

Given perhaps a final chance to prove himself after failing to win even a single game in 19 appearances with the Montreal Canadiens' minor-league affiliate in 2014-15, Budaj accepted a pro tryout last season with the Kings, and did enough in camp to carve out a role with their feeder team, the Ontario Reign.

There, he injected life into a flat-lining North American career, fashioning an astounding 1.75 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in 60 starts, winning 42 times. He was named the AHL's top goalie, for one of the best campaigns on record in a league filled with highly skilled forwards and incomplete defensemen.

While proving his worth to the Kings' brass, Budaj convinced the prospects that would end up making the NHL jump with him this season that he was capable of dominance.

"He was our backbone for the entire season - definitely our MVP," defenseman Kevin Gravel said of his time with Budaj and the Reign. "He just needed a chance. Now he's running with it."

Resolute shot suppression has meant the Kings haven't needed a supreme talent in goal to win. But the formula does require a goalie that routinely makes the saves it should, because Los Angeles' preferred style lends itself to tight, low-scoring finishes, and little room for error.

For this reason, Budaj has found a setting that's favorable to his continued reclamation.

"He's proven himself before and he's hungry to do it again," Muzzin said. "He's in a good position to do that."

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