The Los Angeles Kings opened training camp ahead of the 2025-26 NHL season earlier this week, and similar to Connor McDavid in Edmonton, the team hasn't yet re-signed top forward Adrian Kempe.
The 29-year-old is the most important player on the roster not named Anze Kopitar, but he remains without a contract after the upcoming campaign. Kempe signed a four-year, $22 million pact back in 2022, and he's due for a sizeable raise from the $5.5 million AAV he has been commanding.
Although it's disappointing for Kings fans that the former first-round pick isn't yet locked up, as The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta reported on Friday, a new contract could get done sooner rather than later.
“Status quo, as of now, between the Los Angeles Kings and Adrian Kempe,” the hockey insider wrote. “The two sides continue to negotiate and remain hopeful they can finalize a long-term extension by the start of the regular-season.”
Currently, Los Angeles has just over $2.6 million in cap space to work with, per Puck Pedia. But with Kopitar set to retire after the 2025-26 season, his $7 million will be off the books. The team has four other UFAs as well, so opening up cap space shouldn't be too big of an issue for general manager Ken Holland and the front office.
Kings will rely on Adrian Kempe even more without Anze Kopitar
Kempe has led the Kings in scoring in each of the last two seasons, and he will become the face of the franchise once Kopitar retires. The greatest Slovenian player of all time helped lead Los Angeles to two Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014, and he will be impossible to replace.
Kopitar's exit from the league after this season means that Kempe will be relied on even more at both ends of the rink. He amassed 35 goals and 73 points in 81 games in 2024-25, and is just two years removed from a career-high of 75 points in 77 games set in 2023-24.
Kempe and Kopitar will again assume top line and top powerplay duties in 2025-26, and the pair will try to lead the franchise back to hockey glory for the first time in over a decade.
That's going to be difficult with stalwart defender Vladislav Gavrikov now a member of the New York Rangers, and free agency addition Corey Perry out for roughly two months after suffering an on-ice injury.
This season is going to be all about Kopitar, but getting Kempe re-signed is probably the most important piece of business for the front office at the present time. The Kings enjoyed an excellent regular-season in 2024-25 but were beaten for a fourth straight time by McDavid and the Oilers in Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In Kopitar's last season, it'll be intriguing to see if the team can make one more run before arguably the most important player in franchise history hangs up the skates.
