The Kings secured their starting goaltender for next season with a massive trade on Wednesday, sending PL Dubois to the Washington Capitals for Darcy Kuemper.
Kuemper is expected to be the No. 1 goalie in LA. However, from what we hear, recently signed David Rittich will likely still get plenty of playing time coming off his play from last season. One of the many advantages of this deal is the Kings staff is familiar with Kuemper and that should fast-forward the process of helping him improve his game between now and opening night in October.
There are many additional subplots to the Kuemper story, including the salary cap savings that comes with the trade. LA GM Rob Blake was on record as saying he would not be buying out the Dubois contract this summer, leaving a trade as the best option if the team was looking to move on. In doing a one-for-one deal with Washington and not retaining any of the money remaining over the next seven years, the Kings will save money both in the short term (swamping an $8.5M AAV contract for one that carries a $5.25M AAV) and for many years to come. .
Some of the cap savings could be used to re-sign Matt Roy, yet that remains a tricky situation. Not only will he command a lot of money, the Kings bigger need is on the left side, not the right — as covered here. When the roster is settled over the next few weeks, look for the Kings to have added size and grit at the bottom of their lineup. For now, the immediate next step is getting Quinton Byfield signed to a new deal (our contract prediction is here).
From the Kings press release:
Using data available at MoneyPuck.com, here’s a look at how Kuemper performed among goalies with at least 30 appearances during the 2023-24 NHL regular season:
More to come later, including comments from Blake and an all new Kings Of The Podcast episode.
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