LOS ANGELES — Though Darcy Kuemper did not see a minute of action at the Winter Olympics, as coach Jon Cooper put Team Canada’s gold-medal mission in the hands of Jordan Binnington, the Los Angeles Kings goalie was ecstatic at merely being selected to represent his homeland.
“Growing up playing on the outdoor pond or in the front road playing street hockey, like you’re always dreaming of playing for the Olympics,” Kuemper said in January. “I think every kid in Canada wants to put on that maple leaf in that kind of setting, so it’s such an honor.”
Kuemper was chosen because of an impressive recent track record. In 2024-25, his first year with the Kings, the 35-year-old posted a career-low 2.02 goals-against average and finished as a Vezina Trophy finalist. And his follow-up in 2025-26 started well. Up until a December injury that threw his Olympic status into some doubt, Kuemper had a .916 save percentage and propped up a team dogged by offensive inconsistency and inefficiency.
But that level of play hasn’t been sustainable for Kuemper. In fact, since the Olympic break and especially of late, he hasn’t even been the best netminder for the playoff-chasing Kings. That would instead be Anton Forsberg, who proved clutch Monday in the team’s biggest game to date, stopping 29 of 31 shots in their 3-2 shootout win over the Nashville Predators.
“Obviously just to get the chance to play in this kind of game, it’s so much fun and I had fun every minute out there,” Forsberg said.
The facts should be clear to Kings interim coach D.J. Smith. Forsberg needs to start Thursday’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. And perhaps Saturday’s home tilt against the Edmonton Oilers. There’s a back-to-back next week in Seattle and Vancouver where both goalies can get a game. But if a playoff berth is on the line in the regular season finale at Calgary, the Kings should again tap Forsberg unless he gives them reason not to play him.
As cruel as it may seem to cast aside Kuemper, the veteran has been struggling. It’s not just his last three games, when he’s allowed 15 goals on 70 shots; he has an .870 save percentage since coming back from Milan. Meanwhile, Forsberg has a .900 SV% in 10 games since the NHL returned to action. Not great but clearly better.
When asked after standing tall Monday whether he’d be prepared to play the final five games, Forsberg said, “I’ll play whenever they tell me to play.” But the 33-year-old, who’s mostly been a 1B goalie or an often-used backup, would relish the chance to be the one the Kings lean on to capture a playoff berth.
“Obviously, both me and Darce want to play as much as possible,” Forsberg said. “We’re there to support each other. That’s a part of a team. And when one plays, the other guy works hard. Work on his game. We take it day by day.”
Monday was just Forsberg’s third appearance since March 21, with one of those being a third-period mop-up job against Utah after Kuemper was touched for five goals on 16 shots. His previous start came in a 2-1 overtime win over the Blues on April 1, the front end of a back-to-back he split with Kuemper. The difference here is that rest was built into the schedule, and still the Kings turned to Forsberg.
“I feel good,” Forsberg said. “Even though I haven’t been playing a lot, I’ve been working a lot with (Kings goalie coach Mike Buckley). He’s doing a really good job of keeping you sharp, coming up with really good drills.”
Publicly, Smith has continued to back Kuemper, calling him “our guy all along” after a 5-4 shootout loss to the Predators on April 2. But the goalie was again a topic on Saturday, giving up six goals on just 20 shots as the Kings pulled out a 7-6 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Afterward, Smith lumped his goalie in with the rest of the roster, saying how lineup decisions will be made in consultation with Buckley but also team management.
But the coach added, “There has to be accountability for how you play, and if there’s somebody that can come in and help us, we’re going to do it.”
On Monday morning, Smith pointed to Kuemper needing “a breather” as part of the decision to go with Forsberg. The coach also downplayed the sense that he’s lost faith in Kuemper.
“Kuemps has been a starter in this league for a long time,” Smith said. “Some guys get tired or need a breather in certain times throughout the year, but we’re going to need both guys. Forzy’s quite capable, and so is Kuemps. With the amount of games we have in as many days, we’re going to need both guys.”
The upcoming back-to-back allows Smith to make that statement and stick to it. But while he’s trying not to give away which direction they’re leaning, Forsberg’s work against the Predators is providing what should be a definitive answer — at least for the last two games of this critical homestand. He was particularly strong in Monday’s second period, when Nashville put 19 shots on him. He gave up a juicy rebound in the slot but turned away Filip Forsberg. Tyson Jost and Justin Barron were both denied in a later flurry.
“Forzy’s played great for months now,” Drew Doughty said. “He’s been really good and (we’re) very confident in front of him. He’s a great goalie, great guy. You want to do things for him because of how hard he works and how good of a teammate he is. He’s vocal back there, too, which is nice.”
The Kings are being diplomatic with their net options. “Very confident in front of both goalies, of course,” Doughty said. But it’s time to go with their best. Right now, that’s Forsberg.
