Sports Media

Fantasy Hockey: Capitals Trade Kuemper To LA

Trey Daubert / Fantasy Hockey, NHL / June 21, 2024

Fantasy Hockey: Capitals Trade Kuemper To LA

How about this reunion? Darcy Kuemper played just 19 games for the Kings way back during the 2017-18 season. Now he’s about to be the starting goalie in LA again at the age of 34 after the trade with the Capitals. What does it look like from a fantasy hockey perspective? You know by now that I’m not an intro paragraph guy so let’s get on with it.

The net in LA is set for next year. Kuemper is the starter and Dave Rittich is the backup. I’m just not sold it’s going to stay that way. Rittich posted a .921 SV% with the Kings last season. It was only in 29 games but that could mean he’s trusted for more starts this year. It’s a hell of a lot better than the .890 Kuemper had in 33 starts last year.

I say this all the time. Maybe you the reader disagree but it’s how I see it. Goalies are bullpen pitchers in baseball. They’re rollercoasters. Maybe Rittich stinks it up and Kuemper regains his form. Maybe this is the new Rittich and Kuemper, who is on a downward spiral, is cooked. Maybe both underperform. I’m just not sure how you the fantasy manager can have a firm conviction on either scenario. Especially after Rittich posted career highs in everything and Kuemper just got beat out by journeyman Charlie Lindgren in Washington.

This real question is how much do you believe in the Kings? How many wins can you snag here? The Pacific is loaded. The Golden Knights, Canucks, and Oilers, all feel better. We also don’t have clear indication what the rest of the offseason is going to look like. Maybe the Kings improve with the additional cap space from dumping the Dubois money, who clearly wasn’t a fit for obvious reasons.