The Arizona Coyotes have traded forward Tobias Rieder and goaltender Scott Wedgewood to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for netminder Darcy Kuemper, the teams announced Wednesday.
Rieder, 25, has spent all four of his NHL seasons with the Coyotes, tallying 51 goals and 111 points in 292 career games. The pending restricted free agent has eight goals and 19 points so far this season.
“We continue to look for opportunities to improve our team speed and Tobias will bring that dynamic to our club,” Kings general manager Rob Blake said via the team’s press release. “We appreciate Darcy Kuemper’s contributions this season as he has played very well for us in his role.”
This is Wedgewood’s second sweater change this season, as the 25-year-old backup was dealt to the desert by the New Jersey Devils back in October. In 17 starts this season, he has a 3.45 goals-against average and .983 save percentage.
Kuemper has spent the bulk of his career with the Minnesota Wild, but signed a one-year deal with the Kings in free agency last July. He’s due to be a UFA again this summer, but has already worked out an extension with Arizona.
“Darcy is a big, talented goaltender who is having an excellent year,” Coyotes general manager John Chayka said in the team’s press release. “You need great goaltending in this league in order to be successful and with Antti and Darcy, we are confident that we have an excellent tandem for the future.”
