Kings Rolling the Dice on Goaltending - A Risky Deadline Decision

The Los Angeles Kings have recently undergone a self-inflicted fall from grace. Of course, most of their wounds are self-inflicted, but the fumbling at the worst time of year is a stark reminder of a poorly constructed roster if one considers the team 'championship-caliber.' One of the areas that was previously on stable ground has now shown some pulled roots: goaltending.

In with the old, out with the new?

Darcy Kuemper had become the fourth Kings netminder to be the 1A in the last three seasons via a one-for-one trade with a souring Pierre Luc Dubois sendoff to the Washington Capitals. Kuemper, a former Stanley Cup champion with the 2022 Colorado Avalanche, took the mantle after a chain of new configurations starting with franchise icon Jonathan Quick, who passed the torch to Joonas Korpisalo via trade and then a low-risk-high-reward gamble in free agency on a resurgent Cam Talbot.

The goaltending tandem the Kings have morphed together after three seasons of postseason failure have faltered of late, largely reflecting the team's overall poor performance in front of the crease. Kuemper, in particular, is 4-4-1 in his last nine, with a GAA of 3.25 and a .878 save percentage. Only three times in that span did he post a save percentage over .900.

On the contrary, his first 25 games, Kuemper posted a 14-4-6 record, with a GAA of 2.09 and a save percentage of .920%. Sixteen out of those 25 games, Kuemper had above a .900 Sv%. Maybe not Vezina territory, but in the periphery.

The help behind Kuemper has not been there, either. Behind Kuemper is David Rittich, who is in his second season with LA. In the last four games, Rittich has played sparingly but has a record of 1-1-2, a GAA of 2.85 and a save percentage of .888.

Say what you want about the need for the Kings to get a top six scoring winger, but some help is certainly needed in the crease.

The Kings' system as well as any system across the league, practically mandates timely goaltending. The Kings in particular chip away at their opponent offensively and give up limited opportunities the other way. In this way, the team needs timely goaltending. Lately, it has not been there, nor has the team's tightly controlled defensive schema been present. The combination of the two absences has seen the Kings fall from the Pacific Division crown contention and home ice advantage in the playoffs.

The unstable nature of what's happening in the Kings' crease is very reminiscent of last season, when Talbot was excellent in the first half, earning an All-Star selection. Talbot would be overused down the stretch and, like the team, collapse dramatically in the first round in the playoffs. Kuemper is starting to tear at the seams as the team navigates trade deadline week.

The Kings could make a huge splash at the deadline this year or a nominal move that secures their future while understanding their team isn't fully equipped or built to make noise come late April. This will be particularly true if Kuemper gets rode down the stretch, representing the Talbot of last year but with more grey hair.

LA will have to ride the fine line with lukewarm or injured reserves down in Ontario and a not-so-steady Rittich as a Plan B.

So, while all eyes are inherently on the move the Kings might make this week, an underlying story to watch down the stretch will be the vitality of the Kings crease.