×

Kings G Darcy Kuemper placed on IR after blow to head

By Thomson Reuters Dec 16, 2025 | 12:37 PM

The Los Angeles Kings placed Darcy Kuemper on injured reserve Tuesday and recalled fellow goalie Pheonix Copley from the ‍AHL’s Ontario Reign.

Kuemper came away with an upper-body injury Monday when the Dallas Stars’ Mikko Rantanen collided into him late in the first period. He left the game after taking a forearm to ‌the helmet and was replaced by ‌Anton Forsberg. There was no penalty called on the play.

“I saw a player come into the blue paint and run into our goaltender. That’s what ​I saw,” Kings head coach Jim Hiller said after the game.

While there is no timetable ‍for Kuemper’s return, his ​IR designation will keep him out ​for at least seven days.

Kuemper made five saves ‍over the first 16 minutes of Monday’s game, while Forsberg made 17 saves in the Stars’ 4-1 victory.

Kuemper, 35, is 10-6-6 with two shutouts, a .917 save percentage and a 2.52 ‍goals-against average this season. In 14 NHL seasons with five teams, including his first five seasons with ‍the Minnesota ‍Wild (2012-17), he is 219-152-59 with 38 ​shutouts, a .915 save percentage and a ​2.52 ⁠GAA.

Copley, 33, is in his ‌fourth season in the Kings’ organization but has not appeared in an NHL game in 2025-26. In seven NHL seasons with three teams, he is 44-16-8 with an .898 save percentage and a 2.84 GAA.

–Field ⁠Level Media