Kuemper has expressed his motivation to bounce back during the 2026-27 season, Zach Dooley of the Kings' official site reports Monday.
Analysis:Kuemper had a career-best season during the 2024-25 campaign, going 31-11-7 with a 2.02 GAA and .921 save percentage across 50 regular-season appearances. However, he was unable to replicate those results last year, as he went 19-14-15 with a 2.78 GAA and .891 save percentage while appearing in 50 regular-season games once again. He missed time in the second half of December due to an upper-body injury and had inconsistent production afterward, while teammate Anton Forsberg stepped up with one of the best showings of his career. Kuemper should be in the mix for ample playing time once again to begin the 2026-27 season, but Forsberg could push for additional starts if Kuemper's inconsistency continues this year.
