When Coyotes President of Hockey Operations and General Manager John Chayka went out and acquired Darcy Kuemper last season, there was little sense that the addition would move the needle for the Coyotes.
At the time, Coyotes No. 1 goaltender Antti Raanta was playing exceptionally well. In six appearances prior to the trade for Kuemper on Feb. 21, 2018, Raanta had posted a 4-0-1 record to go along with a .954 save percentage.
The general premise was that Kuemper was simply an upgrade over Scott Wedgewood, who was sent to Los Angeles along with Tobias Rieder in the deal, and provided some depth beneath Raanta.