The Los Angeles Kings Adrian Kempe is one of the stars of the loaded 2026 UFA class. The 28 year old Swede is entering the final year of his current $5.5 million deal with the Kings.
The incoming 10th year Kings vet is coming off an impressive 73 point season last year, in which he recorded 35 goals and 38 assists leading the team. He also paced Kings in playoff production with 4 goals and 6 assists in 6 games during LA’s 1st round exit to the Oilers.
Kempe has been eligible for a contract extension with the Kings since July 1. LA fans continue to wait and see when their star forward will sign his new contract. Insider David Pagnotta has some answers in terms of what the Kempe deal could look like.
What is the latest on Kempe?
Unfortunately, the Kings have received a concerning update in regards to what the Kempe extension could look like. According to Pagnotta, Kempe’s asking price is in the $10 million a year spectrum. This is considerably more than the sub $9 million the Kings are reportedly looking for across 8 years.
If Kempe receives the deal his camp is looking for that would give him a pay increase nearly double that of his current contract he signed back in 2021. With the expectation this could be Kings legend Anze Kopitar’s final season, the Kings should have the facilities to give Kempe what he wants. With that said, we’ll see if the two sides can come to an agreement and meet somewhere in the middle if needed.
Over the course of his 9 year career in Hollywood, Kempe has amassed 194 goals and 207 assists for 401 points in 630 regular season games. In his playoff tenure, he has totaled 15 goals and 14 assists for 29 points in 28 games.
