Minnesota Wild: Kuemper’s Mental Mistakes Continue to Haunt Wild

One of the changes quickly declared by new Head Coach Bruce Boudreau upon his arrival to coach the Minnesota Wild was that back Darcy Kuemper would play more this season. After two games though even Boudreau is wondering if that’s a good idea.

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The idea that the Darcy Kuemper was going to play more games this season was floated very early by the Minnesota Wild’s new head coach Bruce Boudreau. Traditionally, even though Boudreau has usually picked a true number one backstop and that player has normally only made about 50 starts a season. He just hasn’t been one of those coaches who has wanted to wear out his starter.

After last night’s loss in Long Island he might have to rethink his strategy as Kuemper has another rough game. Against the Islanders Kuemper let in six scores to include a series of soft goals in the second and third periods. As a matter of fact by most accounts the Wild out played the Isles in the second period, but were still outscored 3-2 in the period.

His poor performance did not escape his coach who said after the game that “It has to stop. We’re not putting Kuemps in – not to throw him under the bus, but I mean we plan on playing him a few more games than we’ve played him in the past, so sometimes we need that superb goaltending job.”

Boudreau on Kuemper: We plan on playing him a few more games than (he's played) in the past,so sometimes we need that superb goaltending job
— Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) October 24, 2016

Add to the Islander game the shaky performance Kuemper had earlier in the week against the Kings, and you can see where Bourdeau has every right to rip his backup. Also here it’s worth mentioning that if Boudreau rips a player to the press he must be frustrated, because in the past he’s been reluctant to do so and has said as much.

The speculation for last night’s collapse was that he seemed to breakdown after John Tavares scored on a two-on-one break to tie the game. It was a great shot from one of the NHL’s best, so it should have been shaken off fairly quickly by most netminders. Kuemper seemed to let it get to him.

Apr 22, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Minnesota Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper (35) prepares to face the Dallas Stars in game five of the first round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the American Airlines Center. The Wild defeat the Stars 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

After Tavares’ goal it just became soft goal after soft goal. It felt like we were watching a game from the 2014-15 season when Kuemper couldn’t handle full-time starting duties. Back then it was mental mistakes, and the problem as we stand here today is still mental.

To see a player who is not a rookie by any means anymore make these mental mistakes like he did when he was a rookie is bad. You need to be mentally tough to play in the NHL, and even tougher to play goaltender.

How are the Wild ever expected to depend on Kuemper to have a larger role with the team if he’s this much of a question mark? People like to point to last season as an improvement, but overall Kuemper actually didn’t play all that much better going 6-7-5 with a very mediocre .915 save percentage. Fast forward to this season and Kuemper is sitting on a .871 save percentage and 4.00 GAA in two games played.

It’s just hard for a team to watch the soft ones go in when they are working so hard. Its deflating and really kills the momentum they might have. Boudreau explains in last night’s game that “Nobody would have stopped the first goal. Second, and third goal, I think, were stoppable pucks. Puts you behind the eight ball.”

Apr 9, 2016; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Minnesota Wild goalie Darcy Kuemper (35) skates onto the ice in the third period against the Calgary Flames at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

So how do you fix Kuemper’s mental issues? You can dig your head in the sand and think that he’s just had a bad game or you can be concerned. It’s be one thing if this wasn’t a player who has the history of Kuemper, but we all know that Kuemper’s body of work shows a player who has let the mental side of the game hold him back from his potential.

The rest of the league knows it and that’s why there was not deal for him to be found this summer. Lots of teams could have used Kuemper, but something tells me they kept these kinds of performances in mind when Chuck Fletcher tried to trade him. When you’re overpaying for a goaltender to the tune of $1.55 million, and has issues keeping his save percentage above .900 then you can see how he becomes undesirable very quickly.