General manager Ken Holland and the Los Angeles Kings made some noise on the first day of this past free agency cycle early this summer, including signing a backup goaltender and multiple proven veteran forwards.
Holland and the Kings signed unrestricted free agent goalie Anton Forsberg on a two-year contract (worth $2.25 million in average annual value) in free agency this offseason. Forsberg spent this past season with the Ottawa Senators. He played 30 games for the Senators last season and made 27 starts in net in Ottawa.
The Kings found their backup netminder to starter Darcy Kuemper in Forsberg. It was expected that the Kings' brass would make changes to the goaltender situation for depth behind Kuemper.
Anton Forsberg 2024-25 player season recap
2024-25 season stats: 30 games played, 11-12-3, .901 save %, 2.72 GAA, 3 shutouts
2024-25 advanced stats: 2.2 goals saved above expected, 0.079 goals saved above expected/60, 0.37 WAR, 4.8 point shares
Forsberg played for the Senators since the 2020-21 season. He played nearly 150 games in Ottawa in the past five seasons (since 2020-21) and made 132 starts.
This past season, Forsberg served as the backup netminder behind former Boston Bruins goalie Linus Ullmark. Forsberg provided critical depth and key starts when Ullmark needed a rest in net late in the 2024-25 regular season.
He was clutch for the Senators down the stretch last regular season, registering a 4-3-2 record, one shutout, and a save percentage over .915 in the regular season's final three months.
Overall, Forsberg played pretty well in net for the Senators as the backup last season. He registered a .901 save percentage and 2.72 goals against average, with three shutouts, in 30 games played in Ottawa.
Anton Forsberg 2025-26 Los Angeles Kings season preview
It was pretty clear early in this past free agent cycle this offseason that Holland and the Kings' front office wanted to find a new direction with the situation in goal behind Kuemper for the backup role. Forsberg will replace David Rittich as the Kings' new backup goalie this upcoming season in the 2025-26 campaign.
Getting a netminder who can play at least one-third of the games for this upcoming regular season for the Kings is crucial. Forsberg can help take some of the pressure off Kuemper, who will be 35 years old at the start of the 2025-26 campaign this fall. He should be a solid backup for the Kings between the pipes this upcoming season.