Another one of the stacked 2026 NHL Free Agency class went off the board on Sunday afternoon as the Los Angeles Kings agreed to a contract extension with Adrian Kempe. The Swedish star's representation and the Kings re-entered talks earlier this week, and they finally settled on an eight-year, $85 million deal, according to Elliotte Friedman.
Kempe is in the middle of another stellar season for the Kings, recording six goals and 13 assists in 19 games. If he remains healthy, he is on pace to finish with 82 points in 82 games, which would be a career high. The Kings are relying on Kempe to be an integral cog in the team in the future, as Anze Kopitar plans to retire at the end of this season.
It has been a busy week for Kempe's agent, JP Barry. He also negotiated David Kampf's contract termination and subsequent signing with the Vancouver Canucks, and is no stranger to keeping busy mid-season. While some players and their representatives are cautious about negotiating during the season, the agent also adopted a similar approach when negotiating David Pastrnak's most recent contract extension.
Kempe was sure that he wanted to stay in Los Angeles, and there was no need for him to wait until the offseason to finalize the deal. The Kings had no problem locking Kempe into an eight-year contract with the uncertainties of the rising salary cap, but Kempe and Barry wanted to ensure that the star was given a fair deal if taking on that much term.
The Kings currently sit in the first place in the Pacific Division, but an injury to Drew Doughty cast a cloud over their mood on Saturday night. Ken Holland and the rest of the Kings' staff hope that this crucial deal getting done will be another weight off the team and Adrian Kempe as they continue on their quest for the Stanley Cup.
