The LA Kings had to make a switch at goalie last offseason after Cam Talbot left for the Detroit Red Wings in free agency. They would end up making a trade with the Washington Capitals to bring back Darcy Kuemper in a move that ended up better than anyone could have anticipated.
Kuemper is a veteran goalie that was coming off a few down seasons with the Capitals and the Kings seemed to make the trade as much to bring Kuemper to Los Angeles as it was to move Pierre-Luc Dubois and his massive contract.
However, what the Kings ended up getting was one of the best goalies in the entire NHL last season. Kuemper finished the season with a 31-11-7 record, a goals against average of 2.02 (second-best in the NHL) and a save percentage of .922 (third-best in the NHL).
He would end up being named a Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time in his career, but also set some franchise records along the way. At about the mid-point of the season, Kuemper had a stretch of 10 consecutive games where the Kings had at least a point, something not done since the early 1990s by Robb Stauber.
Later in the season, Kuemper would have back-to-back shutouts and this was the first time any Kings' goalie accomplished that since he achieved it during his first stint with the team.
2024-25 Grade for Los Angeles Kings' goalie Darcy Kuemper: A+
While Kuemper's season wasn't completely perfect, it was pretty close and warrants a grade of A+. The Kings' goalie struggled in the playoff series against the Oilers, allowing 23 goals in six games, but when looking at the season as a whole, Darcy Kuemper was a big reason for the Kings' success this season.
The Kings would set a franchise record for home wins in a season and this was due in part to Kuemper's goals against average of 1.67 and four shutouts at Crypto.com Arena. While the Kings may have some questions entering next season, who their starting goalie is not one of them.