Goaltender Darcy Kuemper signed his new contract with the Washington Capitals. The new deal is for five years and $26.25 million or $5.25 million AAV.
NEW TENDIE IN TOWN!
The Washington Capitals have signed goaltender Darcy Kuemper to a five-year, $26.25 million contract.#ALLCAPS | @FTX_Official
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) July 13, 2022
Darcy Kuemper Signs New Deal
The brand new Stanley Cup champion has earned himself a new deal this offseason and now he’s got it. After having one of the best years of his career and winning the Cup for the first time, Kuemper was a hot free agent in a scarce goaltending market. In the 2021-22 regular season, the 33-year-old posted a 37-12-4 record with a 2.54 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. During the playoffs, Kuemper had a 10-4-0 record, a 2.57 GAA and a .902 save percentage. It was more than enough for the end goal.
After spending the past four years with the Arizona Coyotes, his trade was one of the big “wows” from last year. Kuemper was one of the main reasons why the Coyotes didn’t collapse earlier but they decided it was time to move on. And the timing could not have been better. When he arrived in Colorado, Kuemper was coming from one of his worst career years, having a 10-11-3 record with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. It was bad. But then he went on to win gold in the 2021 Men’s World Championship with Team Canada and now the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche. Things can change a lot in a year.
What This Means For the Future
Kuemper is a reliable goaltender who can play well and hold on to games if needed. Like any other non-extraordinary goalie, he isn’t perfect and does have some bad games. However, it doesn’t happen very often and he bounces back well. If put with a reliable defensive system who can help him and a decent backup, he’ll thrive and do really well. Now, more than ever, he’s coming into the 2022-23 season with the highest morale ever and that should be encouragement enough for everyone in this new season!
