The Los Angeles Kings are expecting, and hoping, that goaltender Darcy Kuemper will have a bounce back season after acquiring him during the offseason.
About Last Season
When the Kings shocked everyone in the 2022-23 season by trading franchise goaltender Jonathan Quick, it didn’t seem as if they had any real solutions in goal moving forward. After all, Quick was their starting goalie for 15 seasons and helped lead them to two Stanley Cups.
But in the 2023-24 season, the Kings turned to bargain free agent signings. They brought in veteran goalie Cam Talbot on a one-year contract worth $1 million. They followed that up by signing David Rittich to a one-year contact as well. It was a goaltending tandem that left fans nervous, and the Kings’ playoff chances were even doubted at the beginning of the season. However, the duo turned out to be formidable during the regular season. Talbot proved to be an ageless wonder, and he posted some of his best numbers in years. He finished last season 27-20-6 with a 2.50 GAA and a .913 save percentage. Rittich was also stellar in a backup role, going 13-6-3 with a 2.15 GAA and a .921 save percentage.
But the magic ran out during the playoffs. Talbot ended up with an ugly 5.30 GAA and .861 save percentage, while Rittich had a 2.56 GAA and .872 save percentage. This suboptimal playoff goaltending saw the Kings eliminated in the first round in just five games by the Edmonton Oilers.
The rough playoff exit served as a wake-up call for the Kings. Veterans Drew Doughty and captain Anze Kopitar are the only core members of the 2012 and 2014 Cup winning teams. Young talents Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke are future faces of the franchise. If the Kings are to make a legitimate push to get to the Cup Finals with their current group, they need a true number one option in net.
Enter Darcy Kuemper
The Kings are hoping they found their new number one goaltender with Kuemper after a one-for-one trade that saw the Kings send forward Pierre-Luc Dubois to Washington. He played for the Kings back in the 2017-18 season and went 10-1-3 with a 2.10 GAA and .932 save percentage in a backup role. Since then, he has played for the Arizona Coyotes (now Utah Hockey Club), Colorado Avalanche, and Washington Capitals. He won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022.
After his Cup win, Kuemper went on to sign a 5-year contract with the Capitals. He played well his first season with Washington despite the team being weaker, going 22-26-7 with a 2.87 GAA and .909 save percentage. But the 2023-24 season was rough for Kuemper. He went 13-14-3 with a 3.31 GAA and .890 save percentage.
Despite the harsh numbers last season, Kuemper sports a career 2.61 GAA and .914 save percentage. With the Kings being more defensively sound than Washington, Kuemper should be expected to hit some positive regression this season.
The Full Goaltending Picture
The Kings are set to roll with Kuemper and Rittich as their goaltending tandem this season. On paper, it looks like a duo that can provide strong and consistent goaltending for the club. Goal number one is to make it back to the playoffs, and it seems very possible with these two in net.
The second, and biggest, goal is to make it out of the first round for the first time since 2014 when the Kings ended up winning their second Stanley Cup. This is a tall task considering the very real possibility that they run into Edmonton for a fourth straight year in the first round. However, the club is hoping that Kuemper can provide strong goaltending that transfers from the regular season into the playoffs. He proved to be enough for the Avalanche in 2022 – a team that had tons of offensive weapons, but played a looser defensive game (and swept Edmonton in the Western Conference Finals).
Plus, Kuemper still has three seasons left on his contract. That could prove valuable if he does have a bounce back season and if the Kings makes it to the second round. The Kings are once again taking a chance on veteran goaltenders to lead the way. This season, it seems as if Kuemper has the ability to do just that.
Main Photo: James Guillory-Imagn Images
