Kings Kuemper Poised for a Bounce-Again Season

Because the NHL’s 1967 enlargement, solely 31 goaltenders have been in web when their staff clinched the Stanley Cup. In 2022, Darcy Kuemper joined that unique membership, successful the Cup with the Colorado Avalanche—the staff’s first championship since Patrick Roy backstopped them to glory in 2001.

For Kuemper, it was an extended and winding street to the highest, with stops in Minnesota, Arizona, Los Angeles, and Colorado. From 2019 to 2022, Kuemper was arguably some of the environment friendly goaltenders within the NHL.

Following his championship efficiency with Colorado, Kuemper signed a five-year, $26 million contract with the Washington Capitals in the summertime of 2022. It wasn’t simply the silverware that allured the Caps – Kuemper’s underlying stats in Colorado have been simply as glowing.

Nevertheless, as with most plateau’s, there’s a steep cliff not too distant. Kuemper’s first season in Washington, 2022-23, noticed his goals-against common (GAA) and save share (SV%) take a slight dip. Nothing to sound the alarms for although as Washington struggled as a staff, lacking the playoffs for the primary time since 2014. Final season, nonetheless, Kuemper confirmed the primary actual indicators of decline in his sport as he started to permit low and medium hazard photographs to get by him at profession worst clip.

To be truthful, the Capitals’ defensive unit did little to help him. One might argue Kuemper would have fared higher on a staff that prioritized puck possession and protection—like, for instance, the Los Angeles Kings

As illustrated above, the Capitals have been a nasty hockey staff. Nevertheless that didn’t appear to trouble Charlie Lindgren, the Caps’ journeyman backup goaltender who snatched the beginning job from Kuemper and by no means relinquished it. Lingren completed the season eleventh within the NHL is GSAx (10.5) whereas Kuemper completed forty first (-4.8) enjoying in entrance of the identical staff. Regardless that Lindgren himself light a bit in April and within the playoffs, there isn’t any query that he was flat out stealing video games for the Capitals after they had no enterprise successful. This bought them into the playoffs as, arguably, the weakest staff of the 16 postseason golf equipment, as they completed the yr with a putrid -32 purpose differential and have been promptly eradicated by the New York Rangers in 4 video games.

As for Kuemper, brighter days might be forward. In Los Angeles, he gained’t be requested to steal video games or put up ungodly underlying stats simply to maintain his staff afloat. As a substitute, he’ll have to be a gradual, unspectacular contributor behind a staff that boasted the fifth-best protection within the NHL and prioritized insulating their goaltenders—evidenced by the resurgence of then 36-year-old Cam Talbot. Can he replicate Talbot’s numbers? It possible doesn’t matter. What’s going to matter is that if Kuemper could make the coveted “essential save” when it issues essentially the most, and as a Stanley Cup Champion, he’s the primary goalie the Kings have had since Jonathan Quick that has skilled and succeeded in these moments.