Why the Kings’ Season Rests on Kuemper’s Crease

EL SEGUNDO, CA — The Los Angeles Kings have always seemed to have stability in net. That stability goes back to the dawn of the Jonathan Quick era. That era, and the strength of their crease, gave the team the confidence to trade backups like Martin Jones, Jonathan Bernier, and Ben Scrivens to 'win-now. ' It's been over a decade since the team was in a genuine 'win-now' mode and as they claw at that same approach, their crease has taken new shapes. Quick was traded during the 2022-23 season, and the Kings have now seen three starters in their crease since then. 

Even with the goaltending volatility, the Kings' system has fostered some unexpectedly grand results. Two of the three goalies have experienced excellent, bounce-back type tenures in Los Angeles, in the form of Cam Talbot and Darcy Kuemper. But in all due respect to Talbot and his one-year renaissance in LA, which was primarily backed by the league's best penalty killing performances by a goaltender that season, Kuemper delivered one of the most impressive seasons from a Kings' goaltender since Quick's Jennings Trophy-winning season in 2017-18.

At 34 years old, Kuemper, the former and current King, posted a .922 save percentage (second-best in the NHL among goaltenders with 40+ games played), alongside a 2.02 goals-against average, also the second-best. His 31–11–7 record and five shutouts became fuel for the Kings to threaten first in the Pacific Division most of the season, while his performance down the stretch: 1.31 GAA and .943 SV% over the final 14 games, was nothing short of elite. A well-deserved Vezina Trophy finalist, Kuemper didn't just bounce back from prior inconsistency during his time with the Capitals; he elevated himself into the top tier of NHL netminders.

For the Kings, his success wasn't just a pleasant surprise; it became a reliable defensive product to lean on. There is a difference between leaning on your goaltender to help close out a 3-1 game and entirely relying on your netminder to keep you competitive throughout. The Kings of last season were consistently in the former, with a few games here and there where he had to stand on his head. That's playing in Los Angeles for you, as the Kings don't necessarily rely on elite-level goaltending. However, heading into the 2025–26 season, the reliance on Kuemper should now be viewed as a lifeline. 

The situation should be viewed as tenuous, as the help Kuemper has behind him isn't exactly a frightening 'call to arms.' The franchise's goaltending prospects offer hope, but their ability to step in now is far from being ready to take over a backup role. The depth behind Kuemper remains uncertain, while the team's competitive window remains unclear, with three of their top positional players (Kuemper, Drew Doughty, and Anze Kopitar) all over the age of 34. There are, however, three other centers to back up Kopitar, and a platoon of defenseman to back up Doughty. That can't be said for Kuemper, and if he can't replicate last season's performance, or stay healthy, there may be no safety net beneath him. The team could be exposed in a rather unflattering way.

The Goaltending Depth Problem

As of now, the Kings' goaltending room features Kuemper, veteran backups Anton Forsberg and Pheonix Copley, as well as somewhat unseasoned Erik Portillo, a promising AHL talent who remains largely untested at the NHL level. Copley, 32, has carved out a solid career as a depth option but holds a lifetime save percentage under .900. Anton Forsberg, another journeyman option acquired for depth, has shown flashes of reliability but lacks the body of work to inspire confidence as a primary backup.

This places enormous pressure on Kuemper to carry the load in a way that he didn't experience with mostly the same group from last year. The issue is that his defensive corps in front of him has just become a lot slower and older. Given his age and the players managing the defensive end in front of him, managing his workload will be critical even if the alternatives present a clear risk. If Kuemper plays 55+ games and regresses even modestly from his .922 SV%, the team could lose crucial ground in the Pacific and Western Conference standings. And if he misses significant time due to injury, the goaltending tandem of Copley and Forsberg could quickly prove inadequate.

Erik Portillo: Talented, But Not Quite Ready

There is hope in the system. Erik Portillo, 24, had a breakout AHL season with Ontario, finishing with a 24–11–3 record, a 2.50 GAA, and a .918 SV% in 39 starts. He set a new rookie wins record for the Reign and earned strong internal praise. However, he has played just one NHL game and remains a work in progress at the highest level. Portillo could see a few starts this season, but expecting him to carry the torch, or even serve as a full-time NHL backup, should be seen as premature. He'll need another year of development before he can be relied on consistently. For now, he's a promising Plan C, locked into a long-term plan to grow an in-house 1A option.

LA Goalie Haven — But The Clock Is Ticking

As discussed, historically, the Kings have provided a haven for goaltenders. Whether it was Quick's decade-long dominance, Talbot's brief surge, or Kuemper's current resurgence, the Kings' defensive structure and coaching have allowed goalies to thrive. But success in net has masked structural issues elsewhere, especially in goaltending depth. For all their defensive identity, the Kings have failed to develop a long-term heir in goal. Portillo could be that answer, but until he proves it at the NHL level, he remains a bet on the future rather than a solution for the present. There's also Carter George and Hampton Slukynsky, but both are extremely young players trying to fill a role that has traditionally been voodoo to gauge readiness, threshold, and ceiling.

What If Kuemper Can't Repeat?

Let's assume the worst-case scenario: Kuemper regresses to a .910 SV% or misses 15–20 games due to injury. Based on historical goaltending replacement value, that alone could result in a swing of 6–8 points in the standings, which would be enough to shift the Kings from a playoff lock to a bubble team. The Pacific Division offers little margin for error, especially with teams like Seattle and Vancouver likely to be much more competitive than they were in the previous season. The same could be said of San Jose and Anaheim, too, despite projections of them again being at the bottom.

If the Kings are forced to lean on Forsberg or even Copley for extended stretches, the results may be average at best and disastrous at worst. The organization would then face a dilemma: gamble on Portillo's NHL readiness or trade away assets for an emergency rental. Neither is ideal in a season that demands stability.

Kuemper's 2024–25 season was a revelation. But the Kings' dependence on him now borders on necessity. The Kings have dealt with having lukewarm backups before, but they have never looked so exposed on the backend in front of their netminder. That, combined with prospects still maturing in the AHL, means the stakes have never been higher for Kuemper to remain healthy and effective.

LA has built a system that allows goaltenders to succeed, but that reputation won't protect them forever. Unless Kuemper repeats his performance from last season, the Kings risk wasting Kopitar's potential final year while taking a massive step back from their 2nd place, 105 point finish with their aging core.

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