The hockey season is a couple of month underway, however that is not stopping groups from organising for the long run. And the Los Angeles Kings’ long-term outlook seems rather a lot brighter now that they’ve inked star proper wing Adrian Kempe to a contract extension.
Kempe and the Kings agreed to an eight-year, $85 million deal. The contract begins within the 2026-27 season and has a mean annual worth of $10.625 million. Kempe was beforehand making $5.5 million per yr, so this new deal almost doubles the previous one.
To this point, Kempe has been well worth the funding. He led the Kings in factors final season with 73—the second consecutive yr he is topped the workforce in factors—and tied for the workforce greatest with 35 targets. As of this writing, he is as soon as once more main the Kings in factors this season.
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The Kings drafted Kempe in 2014. He is performed a little bit of middle, although he is had his greatest success without any consideration winger. And this extension places him among the many highest-paid proper wingers within the league. Solely Vegas’s Mitch Marner and Dallas’s Mikko Rantanen ($12 million apiece) and Boston’s David Pastrnak ($11.25 million) have the next common annual worth of their contracts.
Kempe turned 29 in September, so this new deal will preserve in in Los Angeles till he is 37 years previous. So long as he retains up his robust defensive play and shot creation, this could work out to be a good contract over time, even when he loses a step or two of his spectacular breakaway velocity.
Now, the eye turns towards sustained success on the ice. The Kings gained the Stanley Cup in 2014 and haven’t gained a playoff collection since. That features 4 straight first-round exits over the previous 4 seasons. Coincidentally, all 4 of these collection losses have come towards the Edmonton Oilers, so possibly the important thing for the Kings is to only play another workforce in addition to Edmonton.
That is doubtless simpler stated than finished, however not less than Los Angeles is aware of it’s going to have a core piece of the franchise for years to come back.
