The Los Angeles Kings decided that with the departure of Cam Talbot that they would explore the trade market to replace him. They landed on Darcy Kuemper, who just finished his second season with the Washington Capitals, and traded away Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Kuemper really struggled the past two seasons with the Capitals as he had a save percentage of only .902 and allowed just over three goals per game. However, the Kings are hoping that Kuemper can bounce back and re-create some of the magic he had in his first run with the team.
The Kings signed Kuemper before the 2017-18 season as a backup to Jonathan Quick and he played really well. He would have 15 starts over the first part of the season, went 10-1-3 over that stretch with a career-high .932 save percentage, and allowed only 2.10 goals against average. Kuemper would play so well that the Kings would trade him before the deadline to the Arizona Coyotes.
He would play a few more seasons with the Coyotes before a one-year stop with the Avalanche and the past two seasons with the Capitals.
What are the chances the Los Angeles Kings get the 2017-18 Darcy Kuemper?
The chances that Kuemper will play at that level is highly unlikely, although it would be a pleasant surprise. However, it wouldn't be unrealistic to see him bounce back from the down-year he had last season.
If Kuemper wins the starting job, which isn't guaranteed with David Rittich on the roster, the stat line for him would probably be in the .910 save percentage range and a goal against average between 2.60 and 2.80. With production like that, the Los Angeles Kings should be happy about the trade as they got a serviceable goalie while getting rid of the moster contract that Pierre-Luc Dubois had.