Darcy Kuemper Next Team Odds: Oilers, Senators or Capitals?

Mar 14th, 2024 7:22 AM EDT

Darcy Kuemper won a Stanley Cup in his first season as the No. 1 goalie with the Colorado Avalanche. He won big games in the postseason, including clinching Game 6 of the Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

But he will be suiting up for another team in 2022-23.

The defending champs engaged in talks with Kuemper and his agent, but the sides couldn’t agree to terms and so Avalanche GM Joe Sakic quickly traded for New York Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev last week to fill his spot.

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Kuemper is said to be looking for a salary around the $6 million per year range, on par with what goalies such as Jordan Binnington and Jacob Markstrom make. He’s likely to get it from someone, but who?

Let’s take a look at some of our own NHL futures odds on where Kuemper might end up for next season:

Darcy Kuemper Next Team Odds

Team	Odds	Implied Probability
Edmonton Oilers	-110	52.38%
Ottawa Senators	+250	28.57%
Washington Capitals	+400	20%
Buffalo Sabres	+800	11.11%

Odds are projected by our brady.bookies.com NHL handicapper and do not reflect odds that may be available on legal betting sites and betting apps. They are for entertainment purposes only.

Edmonton Oilers (-110)

The Oilers could certainly use an upgrade in goal. It was their biggest weakness, despite being a club that made it to the Western Conference finals before being swept by the Avs.

Kuemper actually didn’t play much in that series because of a lingering eye injury. Edmonton makes the most sense for the Saskatchewan native, and not just because it’s close to home. The Oilers have about $14 million in cap space, enough to obtain a guy like Kuemper.

With all that offensive firepower on the Oilers, it’s time to get serious about goaltending, too.

Ottawa Senators (+250)

Consider for your NHL betting purposes that the Senators have plenty of cap space and that they also might have a new vacancy for a starting goalie soon. Matt Murray is heavily rumored to be on the move, which would pave the way for Kuemper to come in and be the top guy.

Kuemper would figure to play a lot, and get the money he wants from the Senators. Ottawa just hasn’t had good enough goaltending for a few years now, so it’s time to open up the wallet and get someone who can stop a puck.

Washington Capitals (+400)

Other than Ilya Samsonov, there is no other bona fide NHL goalie on the Caps roster right now. Washington has a modest amount of cap space left (about $9 million), though guys like Samsonov are also due new deals.

This seems like a bit of an odd fit, with Kuemper having spent his whole career out West. Kuemper certainly wouldn’t be playing with as good a defense in front of him in Washington as in Denver. But if the money is right, I can see him making the move to D.C.

Buffalo Sabres (+800)

The Sabres are nearly $33 million under the cap, so money wouldn’t be an issue here. The Sabres remain among the dregs of the league, though they did improve some this past season. Kuemper would face a lot of rubber as a Sabres goalie because the defense remains a work in progress.

But this might not be such a bad place for Kuemper. He likes to play a lot and has sometimes really thrived on teams where he had to be a workhorse.

Buffalo is starting to get better, and Kuemper might enjoy playing for a team that really needs him. In Colorado, it seemed like he was an afterthought at times, with such a good team in front of him.

About the Author

Adrian Dater

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Adrian Dater writes about the NHL for brady.bookies.com. The longtime NHL writer spent 25 years at The Denver Post, 20 of which as the beat writer of the Colorado Avalanche.