COVID just opened up a 2-0 series lead on the Avs. It’s early. Better to rust in October than melt in May.
“So when I look at Darcy Kuemper, I watched him a lot when he was in Minnesota, when he was a backup,” former NHL goaltender and Turner Sports analyst Darren Pang told The Post when asked about the Avs’ new No. 1 netminder before Colorado’s 4-2 season-opening win over Chicago.
“And I wondered why he wasn’t more than a backup. And I kind of came to the conclusion that he doesn’t have that makeup to be a backup. He’s not one of those energetic, high-octane, flashy guys that could come in from being on the bench for two weeks and play.”
Pang bent one hand forward, like a shadow swan, and flattened his palm, making the gesture your uncle made whenever he decided he’d had it up to here with the broken furnace.
“He’s very flat-line, a very even-keeled person and athlete,” Pang continued. ”So the more he plays, the more he gets into his element.”
Dude was in his element late Wednesday. Kuemper, all 6-foot-5 of him, stood in the crease like the sixth numbered Flatiron. He stopped 32 of 34 shots on an evening in which the low points — a rope from Chicago’s Connor Murphy with 4:29 left in the contest might’ve been the nadir, and that bad boy was a laser on Kuemper’s stick side — were few and far between.
The road to the Stanley Cup goes through Kuemper’s massive shoulder blades, then veers north via a series of switchbacks between the man’s ears. Aside from Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, no athlete in town has more eyeballs — or more of their fan base’s fascination/curiosity/worry — than No. 35 does right now.
If Dove Valley is still seeking the quarterback that makes no deficit unassailable, Chopper Circle is still chasing a netminder that puts leads, and momentum, in concrete.
The goalie who shuts doors and crushes souls. Especially during a postseason series.
“There’s no guaranteeing that an athlete is going to just blend right in there and be able to handle (that pressure),” Pang said. “I do believe the expectations (here) are very high. He seems to have the even-keeled-ness to be able to maintain in this type of environment.”
On one hand, Team Canada digs him, and Team Canada doesn’t mess around. When ESPN last April polled anonymous players, coaches, and executives to name the top 10 goalies in the game, our man Darcy, acquired in a trade with the Coyotes over the summer, checked in at No. 9.
“His name comes up in trade rumors because he’s incredibly valuable (to the Coyotes),” one executive told the Worldwide Leader. “Which is why he’s still there.”
And now he’s here, in a town where seasons, and rosters, are judged by parades. Or the lack thereof.
No. 35 is taller and rangier than predecessor Philipp Grubauer. But he’s also never carried much of the water as the undisputed, healthy No. 1 netminder on a team that declared It’s-Lord Stanley-Or-Bust the day before the puck dropped on the regular season.
Kuemper shared the load in Minnesota, where he never made more than 28 starts. With the Kings, same deal. Arizona never finished higher than fourth in the division during Kuemper’s tenure in the desert.
Here? Higher elevation. Higher stakes. Super Joe Sakic shipped defenseman Connor Timmins, a first-round pick in 2022 and a conditional third-rounder in ’24 for the big guy’s services. It was a win-now move for a team that’s won everything lately but the big one.
“I’m so excited,” Kuemper said shortly after the trade was announced. “Obviously, those sort of expectations are great. And those are the opportunities you dream of. And to get the chance to step in and join that, it’s unbelievable, and I’m just so excited for it.”
The Avs are tracking unfinished business. Kuemper, a newlywed who’ll turn 32 next May, is in a contract year, hunting a long-term deal. Sometimes when mutual interests align, it’s a beautiful thing.
Otherwise, well …
“Play better,” Pang countered with a smile. “It’s an easy answer. My playing career wasn’t nearly as good as Darcy Kuemper’s, but I remember one time, I was letting things bother me. And I had a real good friend who was a teammate who said to me, basically, ‘Shut your mouth and play better.’
“But Darcy’s not that kind of guy. He’s not going to gather attention because of his incredible saves, and be the ‘first star’ 10 games in a row. You’re going to appreciate how stable he is. You’re going to appreciate how big he is. You’re going to appreciate how technically sound he is. And you’re going to appreciate how he makes a lot of hard saves look really easy.”
Game 1 looked easy. Kuemper was as cool and comfortable as his street cred coming in. Working with a 3-0 lead after the game’s opening 10 minutes certainly helped, but the new guy kept digging, a mountain on the move, even as the Blackhawks threw darts at him early and Patrick Kane at him late.
Again, it’s early. Heck of a first step. Miles to go yet. Star Nathan MacKinnon and coach Jared Bednar, coronavirus scratches for the curtain lifter, aren’t getting any younger. Although on the plus side, as we know too darn well around here, 2-0 leads aren’t as insurmountable as they used to be.
