Kings reportedly searching for long-term goalie, not interested in deadline rental

When you look at the teams near the top of each division, most of them have at least one thing in common. Their goaltending is playing at a high level and usually locked in for years to come.

For the Los Angeles Kings, tied for the Pacific Division lead, neither part is really true, despite recent results. Pheonix Copley, whom they have relied on recently, is 15-3-1 on the year but (incredibly) holds a save percentage of .897. Some will argue he makes the important saves, but the clock also might be close to striking midnight on that Cinderella story.

Their other goaltenders – Jonathan Quick and Calvin Petersen – have been even worse. Petersen is in the minor leagues after clearing waivers but is the only goalie in the entire organization who is signed past this season. Thus, some might wonder if the Kings will be on the lookout for an upgrade in net at the deadline.

According to Pierre LeBrun on TSN’s recent Insider Trading, the goaltending search may end up stretching into the summer. The Kings are not interested in deadline rentals like Antti Raanta or Cam Talbot and are instead looking for a long-term answer.

Where that answer comes from is unclear, especially when Petersen is already soaking up $5M per season playing in the AHL. Nearly $4M of that cap hit remains on the books through 2024-25 even if he stays in the minor leagues, making any big free-agent goaltending addition a little bit more challenging.