2024 Training Camp Preview – Goaltenders

Training Camp is officially two weeks away!

As the LA Kings look towards the start of the 2024-25 season, we’ll take a look, position by position, at the group that will be hitting the ice this season for the NHL club and the AHL’s Ontario Reign.

Perhaps the simplest group to look at is the goaltending. There are questions to be answered with regards to the goaltenders, no doubt, but who plays where feels pretty set in stone. A look at bodies of work, and what to expect, below.

NHL Contracted Goaltenders, Pro: Pheonix Copley, Darcy Kuemper, Erik Portillo, David Rittich
NHL Contract Goaltenders, Junior: Carter George
AHL Contracted Goaltenders: Dryden McKay

Where They’re At
For the second season in a row, the Kings enter training camp with questions in net.

Those questions were answered pretty early last season and remained answered throughout the bulk of the regular season, as the Kings finished fourth in the NHL in team save percentage.

Entering camp this fall, Cam Talbot has been replaced in the rotation by Darcy Kuemper, with David Rittich remaining as his partner in the crease. Talbot signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings this summer after Rittich re-signed on a one-year deal and Kuemper was acquired from the Washington Capitals in a trade for forward Pierre-Luc Dubois.

In many ways, Kuemper enters under similar conditions to Talbot a season ago. His most recent season was below average, maybe the worst of his career, especially compared to his track record. His season-over-season history, though, is pretty solid. Comparing the entrance of Kuemper to Talbot –

Kuemper’s 2023-24 campaign was not the goaltender the Kings acquired him to be. His track record in the five seasons before that, however, was quite strong. There’s two schools of thought with regards to Kuemper. That last season is the aberration or that last season is the start of a trend. The Kings believe that last season was the outlier, as they did with Talbot. A big part of the trade to bring Kuemper in was to move on from the Dubois contract but the Kings still had to believe that Kuemper was a viable starting goaltender to make that trade, with the three seasons remaining on his deal at a substantial cap hit. Kuemper is two seasons removed from a Stanley Cup and a .921 save percentage. Last year’s splits were the worst of Kuemper’s career. The Kings are banking on the return to form in Los Angeles.

Kuemper will be partnered by David Rittich, who was a big success story for the Kings last season. Rittich, somewhat surprisingly, had to settle for a one-year contract with the Kings to start as the third goaltender. He was recalled to the NHL after Pheonix Copley suffered a season-ending injury and he never looked back, earning 24 appearances with a .921 save percentage. Rittich delivered when called upon and his 13-6-3 record helped propel the Kings into the playoffs. Without his stabilizing play coming out of the All-Star break, it’s not very certain where the season would have gone in the second half.

Rittich and the Kings agreed to terms on a small raise and another one-year contract early this summer. Rittich has proven that he can handle a larger workload at times and he definitely earned another season with the Kings. Hard to argue with his splits. Rittich was arguably the best goaltender during the 2023 preseason and with another strong showing, he’ll be pushing not to make the team but for his share of the starts once again. A nice fit so far that the Kings are keen to continue.

Behind the presumed NHL tandem are Copley, returning on a one-year contract, and young goaltender Erik Portillo.

Look for Portillo to be the dog in Ontario. That is what the Kings are pushing for, at least.

He signed a three-year contract extension with the Kings after a workhorse second half of last season. Once Rittich went up, Portillo was the leader in net for the Reign and he responded with a strong rookie season, posting some of the best splits across the league. The Kings see an NHL future for Portillo but he’s not there just yet. Goalies take a bit of time. If he can deliver a strong season as the number one in Ontario, those opportunities could come as soon as next season. Look for Porillo to shoulder the bulk of the workload in Ontario, with hopes of another season similar to last. If he can deliver that, as his contract kicks into a one-way deal in 2025-26, he’ll be in the mix to be the backup at the NHL level.

For Copley, his status is currently a bit unknown. He’s been on the ice but he’s also coming off a serious knee surgery in January, after he suffered a season-ending injury during a practice in late-December. Copley signed a one-year contract on July 1 to return to the Kings with the expectation that he would be the veteran compliment to Portillo in Ontario, at least to kick things off. We’ve seen his ability to step up to the NHL level and contribute. The question will be, is he there from a health perspective. Copley is on the front side of a 9-12 month range that is generally out there for these types of procedures. Every person is different though and Copley is freaky-fit, even among athlete standards. He’s the kind of guy I’d expect to be ahead of schedule and all signs point to him being on track for training camp. Still, he’s one to monitor heading into camp.

The fifth goaltender in the organization is Dryden McKay, who signed an AHL contract with the Reign over the summer. McKay has spent the bulk of his two professional seasons in the ECHL with Newfoundland but could potentially see an opportunity in the AHL depending on where Copley is at. McKay has played two AHL games with Toronto and would likely be in line to start with ECHL-Greenville, depending on where the AHL tandem is at. McKay is one of the most accomplished collegiate goaltenders in NCAA history, despite being undersized in net. A solid option who won’t feel out of place in the AHL should he be required.

The Kings also have goaltender Carter George signed to an entry-level contract, though George is slated to play in the OHL this season. The Kings also have three goaltenders in rookie camp on try outs and it wouldn’t be surprising to see one attend main camp, especially if Copley isn’r ready for full participation on Day 1.

What To Look For
A Kuemper/Rittich tandem is the plan for the Kings, assuming everyone remains healthy.

How that tandem is divided, however, remains to be seen.

While Kuemper has the larger body of work, we should not look past the way Rittich played during the second half of last season. The Kings might not have made the playoffs without the games he played at a critical point in the season. I think Kuemper goes in with a leg up in the rotation, but I’d expect a rotation, not a clearly defined starter and backup. Rittich has earned that right, at least early in the season, based on what he delivered in 2023-24.

In Ontario, look for Portillo to be the guy. It’s the next step in his development, to play the bulk of the games over the course of a full season. It’s bouncing back from the lows and extending the highs. If he does that, the Kings should feel confident going forward. For Copley, he was signed to start as Portillo’s partner in net, though we will need to get a sense of where he’s at from a physical standpoint entering camp. He should be ready to go, but still, he’s coming off an injury so he’s got to be monitored. Copley fills an important role, as he did in 2022-23. He’s NHL tested, NHL proven and understands the role of coming in midway through a season. Assuming all good on the health front, Copley should get his share of games in Ontario and be ready to go when his number is called.

Beyond that, the Kings have McKay on an AHL contract. McKay could start in either the AHL or the ECHL. The Kings also have plenty of contracts available should they look to potentially add another netminder to play in Greenville. That could be accomplished on an NHL or AHL contract. Lots of flexibility there, depending on how the next month or so shakes out.

Looking Ahead
We’ll have previews from both sides of the blueline to follow, beginning with the left side and progressing over to the right. Much more to come here over the next week or so before the rookies hit the ice in seven days!