Vezina Finalist Could Become Cap Casualty For Kings

Thursday, August 27, 2026 ,
Darcy Kuemper wants to remain with the Los Angeles Kings. 

Whether that's still up to him is the real question heading into training camp.

An unexpected goalie battle with Anton Forsberg could make Kuemper's situation one of the Kings' biggest storylines as summer wraps up, with trade speculation building around his $5.25 million cap hit.

Crease That's No Longer His Alone

Forsberg took over as Los Angeles' starter down the stretch last season and started all four games of the Kings' first-round playoff exit to Colorado, while Kuemper didn't see the ice at all in that series. 

Kuemper finished 19-14-15 with a 2.78 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage, a step back from 2024-25, when he was a Vezina Trophy finalist and posted a .921 SV% and had five shutouts.

Los Angeles is sitting at roughly $1.775 million in cap space with a full 23-player roster, and moving Kuemper in favor of prospect Erik Portillo, who'd cost about $833,000, could free up roughly $4.42 million toward extending defenseman Brandt Clarke or adding a second-line center. 

Kuemper's 10-team no-trade list gives him some control over any move. 

Where He Could Land

The New Jersey Devils look like the clearest current fit, having traded away longtime starter Jacob Markstrom to Florida this offseason and still needing a proven complement to Jake Allen in net. 

Florida and Edmonton had also been floated as potential suitors earlier this summer, though both have since filled their own goaltending needs, Florida through its own trade for Markstrom and Edmonton by signing Frederik Andersen in free agency, narrowing the realistic market to New Jersey for now. 

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