As Kings training camp wraps up, NHL.com's Kings insider says the team has more observations than answers. The piece, published Sept. 28, 2026, lays out five takeaways. Two of them center on goaltending and the lineup down the middle. This article summarizes that reporting, and the views below are the NHL.com writer's opinions.
The writer went into camp expecting a goaltending competition between Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg. He believes both will play a lot of games this season, but says the split remains up for grabs. He also thought Forsberg might have had a slight edge coming in, based on his strong showing down the stretch last year.
Each goalie won his second preseason game against the Anaheim Ducks, according to NHL.com. Forsberg was described as stout at Honda Center on Wednesday. Kuemper followed with a good performance at Crypto.com Arena the afternoon before the piece ran. That mattered for Kuemper, the writer says, because he allowed five goals in his first game. The writer adds that much of that should be blamed on a subpar defensive showing.
The writer does not think either goalie separated himself during camp, so the evaluation continues into the regular season. He notes the Kings play only six games in the first three weeks. There is no back-to-back and no pair of games with just one day between them. Games will come 2-3 days apart until the first road trip of the season.
On the center position, NHL.com says the Kings explored an addition, but it did not materialize for several reasons. With Kevin Fiala's injury, the writer does not see that as a real option at the start of the season. Quinton Byfield will be given a chance to center the first line. Behind him, the Kings have a few options but no proven 2C, per the piece.
The Kings' next step is the regular-season opener against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver. NHL.com says the team will hit the ice for what it considers a regular-season-style practice the morning after the piece, with the opener two days after that.