Much more than most, I think Quick is overrated, but
1) Nobody considered Ozzie a Conn Smythe in 98. If anything, people thought we won the cup despite his play.
2) 2001 was three years after the Cup, not a year later, like in your example. What do you suppose the thinking on Quick might be if he posted this season three years later?
You go from winning two straight cups, to losing in round 2 twice, to losing in round 1.
I don't know why it's so hard for you and other to accept that Osgood's stock plummeted a great deal by the end of the 2001 season.