Darcy Kuemper wants to remain with the Los Angeles Kings. The bigger question is whether the Kings will eventually decide they are better off moving him.
That is what suddenly makes Darcy Kuemper trade rumors worth watching as Los Angeles approaches training camp. Kuemper isn’t simply entering another season as the Kings’ unquestioned No. 1. Anton Forsberg took over the crease late last season, started all four playoff games against Colorado and now enters camp with a legitimate opportunity to keep the job. Meanwhile, Kuemper carries a $5.25 million cap hit, is entering the final year of his contract and turns 37 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2027.
That’s a dramatically different situation than the Los Angeles Kings faced only a year ago.
And while there is currently no confirmed report that GM Ken Holland is actively shopping Kuemper, the combination of contract status, cap implications, competition from Forsberg and a surprisingly deep Kings goaltending pipeline gives Los Angeles options it didn’t previously have.
The question may eventually become less about whether Kuemper can still play and more about whether keeping a $5.25-million goaltender makes sense if he isn’t starting.
Darcy Kuemper Career NHL Stats
| Type | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | 489 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Playoffs | 40 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Why Darcy Kuemper’s Los Angeles Kings Future Is Suddenly Complicated
The statistical swing in Kuemper’s 2025-26 season is the biggest reason this conversation exists.
Before suffering an injury in Dallas on December 15, Kuemper looked remarkably similar to the goalie who had been a Vezina Trophy finalist the previous season. He went 10-6-6 with a .917 save percentage, 2.19 goals-against average and 10.72 goals saved above average.
After returning, everything changed.
Kuemper went 9-8-9 with an .868 save percentage, 3.30 GAA and minus-15.87 goals saved above average. The Kings’ own August 24 training-camp preview said those post-injury numbers ranked among the NHL’s worst at the position.
Here is how dramatic the change was:
That isn’t a routine slump. It is essentially the difference between high-end starting goaltending and replacement-level results.
Forsberg capitalized. He finished the season with a .910 save percentage and went on to start every game of Los Angeles’ first-round series against Colorado. The Kings’ official review described him as one of the major reasons they reached the postseason.
My observation: this should be viewed as an open competition, not Kuemper temporarily lending his crease to Forsberg.
The Los Angeles Kings themselves are treating goaltending as one of their major camp questions. Their August 24 preview explicitly asks whether Forsberg can repeat last season, whether Kuemper can rediscover his previous form and whether Erik Portillo is ready for NHL work.
Darcy Kuemper Trade Value and Kings Salary-Cap Impact
This is where the trade conversation becomes interesting.
PuckPedia projects Los Angeles at approximately $1.775 million in cap space with a 23-player roster. Kuemper accounts for $5.25 million of that cap. Portillo, who could theoretically move into an NHL role, carries a 2026-27 cap hit of approximately $833,333.
Using those figures, here is my NHLTradeRumor.com Kings Cap Impact Model:
Those numbers are my calculations from current published cap hits, not a projection from the Kings or PuckPedia. They also don’t account for future injuries, bonuses, daily cap accrual, subsequent roster moves or salary retention.
Kuemper also has a modified no-trade clause that allows him to submit a 10-team no-trade list, meaning Holland doesn’t have complete freedom to send him anywhere.
My read is that Kuemper’s trade value today is probably lower than his actual value to Los Angeles.
Trading him now after a poor finish would mean selling low. If he comes into camp, wins the starting job and looks anything like his 2024-25 self, Holland’s leverage changes dramatically.
That is why I would not rush this.
A goalie-needy team probably isn’t surrendering a premium first-round asset for a 36-year-old coming off an .891 season at a $5.25-million cap hit. A mid-round pick, useful roster asset or salary-balanced hockey trade feels more realistic at current value. A strong first half, particularly with salary retention near the trade deadline, could change that calculation.
There is another factor: Los Angeles suddenly has genuine organizational depth in goal.
Portillo is pushing toward NHL duty, while Carter George and Hampton Slukynsky are beginning their professional careers. Kings director of goaltending Bill Ranford recently described the organization as finally being in a good position in net, adding:
“We’re finally in a good place. Now it’s up to one of these guys to grab it.”
George and Slukynsky are expected to receive significant AHL development time this season.
That doesn’t make Kuemper expendable tomorrow. It makes the Kings considerably less dependent on him than they once were.
Has the Earlier Darcy Kuemper Trade Rumor Been Confirmed?
This is an important distinction.
On August 14, Ryan O’Hara of The Hockey News identified Kuemper as a player who could become a trade candidate, with the logic that a $5.25-million goalie becomes expensive if Forsberg remains the starter. The report did not state that Holland was actively shopping Kuemper.
Ten days later, the Kings’ official August 24 training-camp preview continues to list Kuemper squarely in their plans and even discusses the possibility of Los Angeles opening the season with Kuemper, Forsberg and Portillo all on the NHL roster.
So the earlier speculation has not been confirmed as active trade talks.
What has been confirmed is the condition that could eventually make a trade possible: Kuemper no longer owns the starting job.
That’s why I believe the first several weeks of the season will tell us far more than anything happening in late August.
If Kuemper wins the crease, Los Angeles has a proven starter playing for his next contract.
If Forsberg wins it, Holland has to determine whether carrying a $5.25-million backup is the best use of his cap.
And if Portillo proves NHL-ready too, the pressure to make a decision only increases.
Holland said following last season that, “Going forward here over the next couple of months, we’ve got to make the team better.”
Eventually, deciding what to do with Darcy Kuemper might become part of that process.
Follow the Latest Los Angeles Kings News and Trade Rumors
Stay up to date on the latest Los Angeles Kings news, NHL trade rumors, contract updates and roster moves as the season unfolds. NHLTradeRumor.com tracks the speculation, trade chatter and developing stories that could impact the LA Kings lineup. While you’re here, join our NHL Fantasy Hockey Pool to test your GM skills against other hockey fans and compete for ultimate bragging rights. Looking for what channel the LA Kings game is on TV today? Visit our Los Angeles Kings TV schedule for game times, broadcast information and where to watch. Bookmark NHLTradeRumor.com and sign up for our newsletter below to get the biggest NHL trade rumors and news delivered directly to you.
