Darcy Kuemper wondered if the moment had passed him by.
In 2022, he was on the shortlist for Team Canada’s Olympic roster, as he had established himself in the upper-echelon of goaltenders in the NHL from his time with the Arizona Coyotes. Kuemper had a real shot at cracking that roster, but the NHL ultimately decided not to send the players to that season’s tournament, costing him what he felt might have been his only shot.
Kuemper then hit a low point in his career in Washington and something like a best-on-best tournament wasn’t really on his radar. Then came the resurgence. One of the best seasons of his career with the Kings in 2024-25 ended with a well-deserved Vezina nomination. He followed it with a strong start to the 2025-26 season as well. Suddenly, the dream became a real possibility once again. Then the call came and that dream became cemented in reality.
“I remember going into the last Olympics, getting excited for it, there was talk that we were going back and then it didn’t happen,” Kuemper said. “It’s been a long time. I think as you’re playing, the longer it goes, the less you think about it and then all of a sudden, this chance comes up and you get really excited for it. Obviously, something that has been in the back of my mind, training the last couple of years and wanting to be a part of it. It’s just such an honor to be named to the team.”
For Kuemper, he’s a part of the position on Team Canada that enters the tournament with the biggest question marks. You can, at the very least, argue that Canada has the tournament’s top players at the forward and defense positions. But in net, Canada doesn’t have that undisputed number one like some nations do. St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington was the big dog at the 4 Nations Faceoff and delivered with a really good tournament. This season, though, if you sort NHL goaltenders by save percentage, Binnington ranks close to the bottom among goaltenders with at least 20 appearances.
Perhaps that opens the door for a guy like Kuemper to get his moment. I think that Binnington is the likely Game 1 starter, when you consider his body of work at the 4 Nations Faceoff. He was the number-one and he performed. But it’s a short tournament and one bad game in net might mean a change comes. So, Kuemper might start on the bench, as either the number-two or number-three goaltender. That’s possible. But should there be a need to make a change, you know he’ll be ready, alongside Washington’s Logan Thompson. Neither have that best-on-best experience but both are highly capable NHL starting goaltenders who shouldn't be phased by the moment.
Ultimately, goaltending is the hardest position to earn your minutes. There’s no reduced role. You’re either the starter or you aren’t. It’s unlikely that all three goaltenders will play, so it’ll be up to how much value the brass places on Kuemper’s body of work over the last two seasons. Over that longer stretch, it’s one of the best in the NHL. Hasn’t been his best stretch of the season over the last couple weeks, but prior to his injury in Dallas in December, Kuemper was lights out. Lots of different factors that will determine whether or not Kuemper gets the net. We’ll see how things play out.
For Kuemper, though, there’s the realization of a dream here. As a kid in Canada, this is one of the things you grew up thinking about. He’ll live it this week. And that’s extremely special.
“Growing up playing on the outdoor pond or in the front road, playing street hockey, you’re always dreaming of playing for the Olympics,” Kuemper said. “I think every kid in Canada wants to put on that Maple Leaf in that kind of setting. It’s such an honor. Really wanted to be on the team, so I’m just really excited to be a part of it.”
Kuemper/Canada Olympic Schedule
February 12 – Canada vs. Czechia, 7:40 AM Pacific
February 13 – Canada vs. Switzerland, 12:10 PM Pacific
February 15 – Switzerland vs. France, 7:40 AM Pacific
After those three games, all 12 participating teams will be seeded based on their point totals in group play. The group winners and the second-placed team with the most points advance directly to the quarterfinals. The teams ranked 5 – 12 will compete in the playoff round, with the winners also advancing to the quarterfinals. Participation for all Kings players will be determined by the performance of their teams in the preliminary round.
The playoff round begins on February 17, followed by the quarterfinals on February 18. The semifinals are all on February 20, followed by the bronze-medal game on February 21 and the gold-medal game on February 22.
