Avalanche replace Philipp Grubauer; trade for Darcy Kuemper from Coyotes
The Daily Goal Horn
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The Arizona Coyotes traded goaltender Darcy Kuemper to the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday in exchange for a 2022 first-round draft pick, a conditional 2024 third-round pick and defenseman Conor Timmins.
Multiple reports said the Coyotes would pay $1 million of Kuemper’s $4.5 million salary-cap hit as part of the deal.
Kuemper, 31, went 10-11-3 for Arizona in 2020-21 with a 2.56 goals-against average and a .907 save percentage. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, he is 53-42-13 with a 2.35 GAA and a .922 save percentage, causing him to be seen around the NHL as a No. 1 goalie.
Avs needed to replace Grubauer
That’s exactly what the Avs needed after their former starting goalie, Philipp Grubauer, left Wednesday to sign a six-year, $35.4 million deal with the expansion Seattle Kraken.
“Darcy is a tremendous goaltender and a great person,” said Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong. “We appreciate everything that he did for our organization the past four seasons and wish him all the best in the future.”
Kuemper finished fifth in Vezina Trophy voting in 2019 and seventh in 2020. In nine seasons with the Minnesota Wild (2012-13 to 2016-17), Los Angeles Kings (2017-18) and Arizona (2017-18 to 2020-21), the Canadian is 106-83-32 in 242 games (225 starts) with a 2.47 GAA and a .917 save percentage.
Colorado is looking to break through after winning the Presidents’ Trophy in the abbreviated 2020-21 regular season but losing in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Timmins, a second-round draft pick by Colorado in 2017, played in 31 games last season and recorded seven assists. He began his NHL career by playing two games in the 2019-20 season.
–Field Level Media