Darcy Kuemper was playing some of the best hockey of his career before one injury transformed a Vezina-caliber campaign into a season filled with unanswered questions.
There are seasons defined by consistency, and there are seasons defined by a single moment. Darcy Kuemper's 2025-26 campaign belonged firmly in the latter category.
A Vezina-Caliber Opening
For nearly two months, Kuemper looked every bit like the goaltender who reestablished himself among the NHL's elite the previous season. Calm in the crease, technically sound and consistently delivering timely saves, he provided Los Angeles with exactly the stability it expected.
Before suffering an injury in Dallas on December 15, Kuemper posted a 10-6-6 record with a .917 save percentage and a 2.19 goals-against average. More impressively, he had accumulated 10.72 goals saved above average, placing himself firmly among the league's most valuable netminders.
At that point, the numbers painted the picture of a legitimate difference-maker.
He ranked fifth in the NHL in goals saved above average, tied for fifth in save percentage and stood alone in fifth in goals-against average among goaltenders with at least 10 appearances. Every meaningful metric suggested the Kings once again possessed one of hockey's most reliable starters.
His excellence extended beyond traditional statistics.
Among the 27 goaltenders to log at least 2,000 five-on-five minutes, Kuemper was one of only six to post a high-danger goals-against average below 1.00. His .846 high-danger save percentage ranked eighth despite facing the sixth-fewest opportunities in that category, illustrating that when the game demanded a critical stop, he routinely delivered.
His play was rewarded with a spot on Team Canada's roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Although he served as the veteran third goaltender and did not appear in a game, earning a silver medal represented another milestone in a remarkable resurgence that had elevated him back into the international conversation.
Everything appeared to be trending toward another exceptional season.
The Injury That Changed The Season
Then everything changed.
After returning from injury, Kuemper never resembled the goaltender who had quietly carried the Kings through the opening months of the schedule.
Over the remainder of the regular season, he produced a 9-8-9 record with an .868 save percentage and a 3.30 goals-against average while posting a staggering minus-15.87 goals saved above average.
Those numbers ranked among the worst in the league.
Among the 66 goaltenders who appeared in at least 10 games during that span, Kuemper ranked 59th in save percentage and 55th in goals-against average. According to Natural Stat Trick, only three goaltenders finished with a worse goals saved above average total over that stretch.
Whether lingering effects from the injury, disrupted rhythm or accumulated fatigue contributed to the decline remains uncertain. Kuemper declined to use the injury as an excuse during his exit interview, but the statistical divide before and after December 15 is impossible to ignore.
The contrast is so dramatic that it almost feels like two entirely different seasons played by two entirely different goaltenders.
His late-season struggles also arrived at the worst possible time.
Los Angeles dropped six of Kuemper's final eight regular-season starts, including a 7-6 victory over Toronto in which he surrendered six goals despite earning the win. In five of those final eight appearances, he allowed at least four goals, placing increasing pressure on a Kings team fighting for playoff positioning.
Meanwhile, Anton Forsberg's strong finish steadily earned more confidence and raised legitimate questions about whether Los Angeles should have shifted its workload sooner.
The Kings understandably hoped Kuemper would rediscover the form that made him so dominant down the stretch in 2024-25.
That breakthrough never arrived.
Special teams offered little relief.
Among 72 goaltenders who logged at least 50 shorthanded minutes, Kuemper finished 61st with an .815 save percentage while recording a minus-7.08 goals saved above expected on the penalty kill, the fifth-lowest mark in the NHL according to Natural Stat Trick. The Kings' penalty-killing issues extended far beyond one player, but Kuemper's performance in those situations reflected the broader struggles that plagued the unit all season.
An Uncertain Outlook In Los Angeles
Kuemper's final stat line — 50 games, a 19-14-15 record, a 2.78 goals-against average, an .891 save percentage and three shutouts — tells only part of the story.
His season was ultimately defined by an extraordinary first act and a disappointing second.
With one year remaining on his contract through 2027, the veteran enters training camp facing more questions than certainty. General manager Ken Holland indicated Kuemper was frustrated by how the year ended and motivated to return stronger, but motivation alone will not erase the sharp decline that followed his injury.
As things stand, the Kings appear poised to enter camp with an open competition between Kuemper and Forsberg.
If Kuemper can rediscover the form he displayed through mid-December, Los Angeles still possesses a goaltender capable of carrying a contender.
If not, the defining storyline of his 2025-26 season may become the defining question of his future with the organization.
