The Los Angeles Kings this offseason had to find a replacement for Cam Talbot and decided to bring back a familiar player in Darcy Kuemper. He had a brief run with the team a few seasons ago and the Kings traded Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Washington Capitals for Kuemper.
It was a bit of a risk at the time as Kuemper was coming off some down seasons in Washington but the move has worked out better than anyone could have expected. After two stints on injured reserve earlier in the season, Kuemper has been one of the best goalies in hockey and should be among the finalists for the Vezina Trophy.
Among goalies with 40 or more games played, this is where Kuemper ranks in the league:
- Wins: 24 (11th)
- Goals Against Average: 2.13 (2nd)
- Save Percentage: .918% (3rd)
- Shutouts: 4 (T-5th)
In January, Kuemper was the fourth goalie in franchise history who had a point in 10 straight games, something Jonathan Quick was not able to accomplish during his time with the Kings. As the season has gone on, he has continued to elevate his performance and in March, Kuemper has gotten even better and in nine starts he is 6-2-1 with a save percentage of .934% and a goals against average of only 1.43.
Darcy Kuemper should be a finalist but unlikely to win the Vezina Trophy
The Los Angeles Kings have never had anyone win the Vezina Trophy in their franchise history. There is no question that Darcy Kuemper has made a strong case, particularly as of late, but it probably won't be enough to catch Connor Hellebuyck.
Hellebuyck won the award last season and has continued to play at a high level which has separated him from the other players at the position. In the four stats mentioned previously, Hellebuyck is first in each of them. Hellebuyck has also played in 54 games, 13 more than Kuemper this season, and has 16 more wins.
This shouldn't take away from what Kuemper has been able to do this season with the Los Angeles Kings. If they hope to improve their playoff seeding or get out of the first round, Darcy Kuemper is going to play a pivotal role in those objectives.
At this point, there are three players who have made a strong case to win the Vezina Trophy with Andrei Vasilevskiy joining Kuemper and Hellebuyck. While Hellebuyck has won the award, if Kuemper finishes the season strong he should be the runner-up to the trophy. This would be the first time since the 2011-12 season that the Kings have had a player this close to winning when Jonathan Quick was the runner-up.