A Tale of 2 Goalies: What The Kings Could Do for Goaltending Next Season

Heading into the start of the 2025-26 NHL season, the Kings had an easy decision to make for their starting goaltender. Darcy Kuemper, who was named the starter at the beginning of the season, had just come off a Vezina-nominated season with the Kings. While he did not win the award, his strong goaltending allowed the Kings to have one of their best seasons in recent memory. 

The Kings throughout the 2025-26 season posted some of the best defensive numbers in the NHL, ranking 7th in goals against average. Throughout the season, the Kings' starter was Darcy Kuemper, who played more games than Anton Forsberg, and his play kept the Kings in the playoff race. 

But as the season progressed, Kuemper's game seemed to be getting worse; in his last 10 starts for the Kings, he had 4 wins, 1 loss, and 5 overtime losses. The Kings felt they would not clinch a playoff spot, and on April 1st, when they were in the 2nd wildcard spot, they would make Anton Forsberg the starting goaltender. 

Anton Forsberg would play in 6 games after becoming the Kings' starting goaltender, posting 5 wins and 1 loss. In those 5 wins, Forsberg had a save percentage under .900. Forsberg was playing some of the best hockey of his career, and for the Kings, it came at the best possible time, as the only loss Forsberg would have, the Kings had already clinched a playoff birth. 

While Kuemper played more games than Forsberg throughout the season, comparing their last 10 starts raises the question of whether Kuemper was overplayed. As in their last 10 games, Kuemper posted a 3.10 GAA, while Forsberg posted a 2.23 GAA. In their last 10 starts, Kuemper allowed 31 goals, while Forsberg allowed 21. Looking at the stats, it makes sense why the Kings made the shift to Forsberg, as he was playing better at that point in the season. 

Heading into the playoffs, the Kings chose to make Anton Forsberg their starter, and he played all 4 games. While the Colorado Avalanche swept the Kings, Forsberg posted a .909 save percentage and a 2.70 GAA against a team that, in the regular season, averaged an NHL-best 3.63 goals per game. 

With the Kings eliminated and the goaltending tandem of Kuemper and Forsberg helping them get into the playoffs, it makes sense for them to return, especially since both are under contract until 2026-27. But the biggest question is, who is the starter come October? Is it Kuemper who had an off-year but is capable of being a strong goaltender, or is it Forsberg who had one of the best goaltending seasons of his career?

The answer is that, instead of choosing one as the starter and the other as the backup, it could be beneficial for the Kings to have a shared net next season. While Kuemper played in 50 games this season and Forsberg played in 36, both goalies are capable of playing often when needed. 

But with Kuempers' decline in play compared to the season before and Forsberg's strong play, the idea of having them share the net could benefit the Kings. The idea of having both goalies share the net is more common in the NHL today, with teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild using a 1A-1 B system that has allowed them to find success as the season progressed without overplaying their goalies. 

While in the playoffs, teams do choose a starter; it typically falls to the goalie who has been the better one near the end of the season, and that's what the Kings did, making Anton Forsberg the starter heading into the playoffs. 

Overall, the idea of Kuemper and Forsberg running a 1A/1B situation may be something the Kings can use next season, as it has proven successful with other teams as it allows both goalies to get rest while also playing enough games to feel comfortable as the season progresses and while this does not solve all the issues for the Kings it could be a aspect they could add to their team that has the potiential to benifit the team and both goaltenders.