The LA Kings have acquired goaltender Darcy Kuemper from the Washington Capitals, in exchange for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois.
Kuemper, 34, returns to the Kings after appearing in 33 games for the Capitals this season, finishing the campaign with a 13-14-3 record and one shutout. The netminder is a veteran of 389 NHL regular season contests over parts of 13 seasons with the Minnesota Wild, LA Kings, Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche & Washington Capitals, including a Stanley Cup Championship with Colorado in 2022.
The 6-5, 215-pound goaltender has maintained a 2.61 GAA and .914 SV% with 31 shutouts, while assembling a 178-135-46 career record in the regular season. Through 34 career postseason appearances, Kuemper has recorded a 17-10 record with a 2.72 GAA and .908 SV% and two shutouts. During the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Kuemper posted a 10-4 record with a 2.57 GAA and .902 SV% with one shutout.
Kuemper last suited up for the Kings in the 2017-18 campaign, where he went 10-1-3 with three shutouts and a 2.10 GAA and .932 SV% in 19 games.
Originally selected by Minnesota in the sixth round (161st overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Kuemper played his junior hockey for the Red Deer Rebels in the Western Hockey League (WHL). Tending goal for the Rebels for three seasons, Kuemper finished his WHL career owning a 94-60-17 record with a 2.48 GAA and .914 SV%, 19 shutouts, and numerous league-wide accolades. At the close of his final season with Red Deer, Kuemper was named as both the WHL and CHL Goaltender of the Year, the WHL Player of the Year, and selected to the WHL First All-Star Team after posting a league-best 1.86 GAA .933 SV% in the 2010-11 campaign.
A native of Saskatoon, SK, Kuemper represented Canada in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship in 2018 and 2021. In 15 total games played over those two tournaments, Kuemper maintained a 2.30 GAA and a .898 SV% with one shutout and captured a gold medal in 2021 in Latvia.
