We usually take a shower to clean ourselves.
For Darcy Kuemper, it also turned into a good start.
The trade happened quickly on Wednesday, as the Kings and Capitals turned negotiations started just weeks prior into a 1-for-1 trade that took over the hockey news cycle between Games 5 and 6 in the Stanley Cup final. For Kuemper, he was taking what he thought was a routine shower when his wife came to let him know he had been traded to the Kings.
“It was a very strange way to find out,” he said with a smile. “There was a lot to process, but we are both very excited about the move. We have some logistical issues to sort out, but for hockey we are very excited.
The logistics side, the business side of the job is never easy.
You don’t sign a five-year contract hoping to leave after two years, as was ultimately the case for Kuemper in Washington.
A good season in 2022-23 and what he described as a “tough” season in 2023-24. Then a logical fit was found with the Kings, who were looking to replace forward Pierre-Luc Dubois and needed a goaltender to complement David Rittich. A trade seemed logical for both sides, but the speed of execution creates these types of logistical issues for players to resolve. Luckily for Kuemper, he returns to a place where he has fond memories, from his short time in Los Angeles during the 2017-18 season. This makes things easier than most movements.
“It’s definitely a lot easier just knowing the area and more importantly knowing the team, knowing a lot of the staff, it makes it a lot easier, feeling at home straight away” , described Kuemper during his first press briefing with the Kings. earlier today. “It’s tough coming into a new team where you’re trying to get to know the area, get to know everyone and work at the same time, so it’ll be an easy transition and we’re really excited.”
While Kuemper broke into the NHL with Minnesota, it was his partial season in Los Angeles that really saw him emerge as a starting option in the NHL.
Unfortunately for him, this opportunity was not available at that time with the Kings, as Jonathan Quick was having one of the best seasons of his career. There was Kuemper, however, with a .932 save percentage as he lost just once in regulation in his 19 appearances with Los Angeles. He finally got his chance to start in Arizona and became the goalie he knew could be there. There was a part of Kuemper that wished he could be with the Kings.
Maybe it’s possible now.
“I loved my time there, it was only for one season, it was hard to move on, but it was just the reality of the situation,” Kuemper said. “I wanted to be able to play a bigger role that wasn’t available at the time in Los Angeles. Things have gone really well since then and now I’m excited to have the opportunity to come back and fill this role for a team I enjoyed playing for so much.
Kuemper understands that his assignment in Los Angeles is not guaranteed to be that of a defined starter. He understands the game is moving away from that throughout the regular season and moving more toward tandem situations in most spots, given the physical demands 82 games place on a goalie.
“I think it’s a lot harder for guys to play 60-plus games a year,” he said.
He will likely partner David Rittich in tandem this season with the Kings. Rittich is not a young man at all, but Kuemper is the more experienced of the two. He won the Stanley Cup in Colorado two seasons ago as a point guard and now he brings that winning pedigree to the Kings. He looks to bring his experience and play to Southern California and do his best to help the Kings achieve their goals of winning and progressing as a franchise.
“I believe I can step in and be a stabilizing force in front of the net and provide the goaltending that the team needs,” he said. “Obviously I had that experience winning a cup just a few years ago and once you taste it you want to do it again. I believe I have the opportunity to join a team capable of winning a cup. I just want to come in and provide stable goaltending and do my part to help them get there.
I would almost divide this experience into two categories.
The first part is, this guy has been through this before, in the playoffs, and he came out the other side with a ring. Not everyone has what it takes to climb the mountain, but Kuemper is someone who has.
“You learn so much about yourself and what it takes as a team to reach that goal,” Kuemper said of the 2022 Cup. “Obviously there are so many good teams every year and only one can win and it really takes something special. You just learn what it takes to have that kind of success, whether it’s within yourself or within the team. It truly is one of the greatest moments of your life. I’m so lucky to have had the chance to experience that and I learned a lot about myself, a lot about the guys I played with. It’s a truly invaluable experience and I just want to be able to do it again.
The other part of this experience will be building on his performance last year and coming back stronger here this year. Kuemper posted his worst numbers, statistically speaking, since entering the NHL. He ended up dealing with some injuries and ultimately lost his starting job in Washington.
He did not hesitate to experience a difficult season. In fact, he seemed pretty motivated to make last season unique and not the norm. His work for several seasons was at a high level. He was a professional during the changes in Washington, but he is motivated and ready to deliver with the Kings this season.
“From a hockey standpoint, it was very difficult, it was very frustrating at times,” Kuemper said. “I continued to work and even though I didn’t play much, I came to work every day, worked on my game and I can’t wait to get a fresh start next year and get back the game as I like to play, prove that last year was just a one-off year, achieve many victories and help the team.
I loved the phrase “prove that last year was just a one-off.”
Words are cheap, until they are put into practice, so time will tell, but it’s certainly positive to have a guy who is excited to come back to LA, who values playing here and who is determined and motivated to have a bounce-back season. Hopefully, by capitalizing on these elements of his character, as Rob Blake mentioned on Wednesday, the Kings made the right choice in completing their goaltending tandem.