In what could be a metaphor for his new hockey beginning, Darcy Kuemper revealed in his first interview with Los Angeles Kings’ media that he found out that he had been traded by the Washington Capitals while cleaning the filth off his body.
“Uh, actually, I was taking a shower and my wife came and grabbed me and said, ‘I think we got traded,'” Kuemper said. “It was kind of a strange way to find out.”
Kuemper did not reveal what soap he was using, but he seems like a Dove guy to me.
“It was a lot to process, but we’re both really excited for the move,” Kuemper said. “We’ve got some logistical stuff to figure out, but for the hockey stuff, we’re super excited.”
Kuemper is coming off his worst full season in the NHL after posting career lows in goals against average (3.31) and save percentage (.890). He finished the campaign with a win/loss record under .500 (13-14-3) and did not win a game after February 26. With Charlie Lindgren surpassing him for the starting spot, Kuemper was deemed expendable by the Capitals, especially with three seasons remaining on his contract worth $5.25 million annually.
“Hockey-wise, it was really tough,” Kuemper said of his 2023-24 season. “It was really frustrating at times. Obviously, we weren’t winning as many games as I would like and not playing as much. That’s always tough to deal with. I just kept working through it and although I didn’t get to play a lot, I came to work every day, worked on my game. I’m looking forward to the fresh start next year and just getting back to playing how I like to play, proving that last year was just a one-off and getting a bunch of wins and helping the team.”
The 2022 Stanley Cup champion goaltender was traded in a one-for-one deal for first-line center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who has seven years and $59 million remaining on his deal. Kuemper previously played 19 games for the Kings during the 2017-18 season until a February 21, 2018 trade sent him to the Arizona Coyotes for goaltender Scott Wedgewood and forward Tobias Rieder.
“I had a short stint [in LA] but I loved my time there,” Kuemper said. “It was really tough to have it be so short because of how much I enjoyed the organization, living there, playing with the guys. Really excited to be back. I’ve had a lot of success with Bill Ranford and the goalie staff before.”
The one thing Kuemper seemed most excited about was where the Kings are as an organization. The team finished third in the Pacific Division with a 44-27-11 record — good for 99 standings points.
“I believe that I’m getting an opportunity to join a team that’s capable of winning a Cup,” he said. “I just want to come in and provide stable goaltending and do my part to help them achieve that.”
