The Kuemperor (str)I(ke)s Back!

Good news, Insiders.

The LA Kings have activated goaltender Darcy Kuemper off of injured reserve, which signals his impending return to game action off of an upper-body injury. In a corresponding transaction, the Kings have assigned goaltender Pheonix Copley to the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

Not all that surprising. Kuemper was close on Sunday, before the team left for Colorado, but wasn’t ready quite yet. He did practice in full that day from the start of practice, which was a good sign. He wasn’t quite ready for game action yesterday, though, so it didn’t make sense to bring him on the trip for a one-off just to not play. He stayed back in California and will practice with the Kings tomorrow, when they return to the ice at 11 AM at Toyota Sports Performance Center. The Kings begin a four-game homestand on Thursday against Tampa Bay, with Kuemper feeling like an option for that game. No back-to-backs either and the last time Kuemper returned from injury, the Kings upped his workload a bit at the start to get him back into game sharpness. When he’s ready to go, will be interesting to see if they take a similar tactic to get their number-one netminder back up and going.

Kuemper is a welcomed addition for this group. Doesn’t need to be explained that the Kings don’t score a ton of goals. Having the guy who has been a Top-3 goaltender in the NHL, statistically speaking, over the last two seasons is huge for this team.

Over the last two seasons, Kuemper has posted a .920 save percentage, which is tied with Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy for the best clip in the NHL. His 2.07 goals-against average is the best mark of any netminder in the league in that span. Per Natural Stat Trick, Kuemper has saved 37.8 goals above average, which calculates the difference between a netminder’s Goals Against and a Goals Against with the same Shots Against and the average SV%. That ranks third best in the NHL, behind only Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy. Kuemper’s seven shutouts in that span are one shy of the league lead. The Kings have been one of the NHL’s best defensive teams since Kuemper came on board and he’s been the “backbone” of those efforts, as Jim Hiller has repeatedly said. Facing four games that include Tampa Bay, Minnesota (x2) and San Jose – all currently playoff teams – having Kuemper between the pipes is a welcomed addition.

For Copley, he got one start with the Kings and allowed three goals on 28 shots in a 3-2 loss against Seattle seven days ago. That game will be remembered for two moments for Copley, one being a fantastic post-to-post save late in the first period and the other being a goal he allowed off a deflected and bouncing puck, that he directed in with his glove hand. Copley is still what he’s always been and that’s a reliable number-three goaltender. That goal was a tough highlight, for sure, but still, three against in total from a guy making his first NHL start in more than two years gave the team a chance to win. He’ll return now to the AHL’s Ontario Reign, where he will tandem with Isaiah Saville, who has been terrific since he was recalled from the ECHL. Saville is 5-1-1 with a .914 save percentage, a 1.91 goals-against average and two shutouts. With Kings prospect Erik Portillo out due to injury, it’ll be Copley and Saville with the AHL club until he returns. When healthy, it’ll likely be Portillo’s net. Just not quite sure when that will be.

For the Kings, Kuemper brings the team back to full availability heading into the upcoming homestand. January is the busiest month of the season for the Kings, so they’ll need both Kuemper and Anton Forsberg playing in that time. The Kings play 16 games in 31 days in January and 19 games in 36 days before the Olympic break. That stretch includes five back-to-backs and nine of the next 10 games are against teams currently in a playoff position, with seven of those games coming at home. A defining stretch of games for the Kings upcoming and thankfully, they will have Kuemper in net for the bulk of it.

Will tomorrow bring another bit of news for Kuemper?

Hockey Canada is set to announce its roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan at some point tomorrow. Kuemper’s play has vaulted him into the mix of goaltenders who are being seriously considered for selection. The net feels fairly wide open, with only Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues thought to be a lock to participate. Kuemper’s numbers should merit serious consideration to not just make the team, but to compete for starts. Statistically speaking, he’s the best Canadian goaltender in the game over the last two seasons and it’s not even close. Will see how the timing shakes out, but knowing what it would mean to him, hoping for good news on that front as the team hits the ice tomorrow!