The LA Kings ended months of speculation on Sunday. The club announced the extension of star winger Adrian Kempe to an eight-year deal worth $85 million. The deal comes with a $10.625 million AAV, insider Elliotte Friedman reported.
The deal puts to rest the biggest issue hovering around the LA Kings this season. Moreover, the agreement takes another major impending free agent off the market.
But beyond the evident positive news behind the deal, the club got a huge discount from Kempe. The AAV on Kempe’s deal is below other comparable players. Most notably, the Winnipeg Jets coughed up $12 million AAV for Kyle Connor.
Similarly, the Colorado Avalanche signed Martin Necas earlier this season to an $11.5 million AAV. As such, the LA Kings got Kempe for a massive discount. That situation bodes well, as the team will be heading into a transition period as captain Anze Kopitar will be retiring at the end of this season.
The 29-year-old Kempe will likely remain in Los Angeles for the remainder of his career. The deal will expire in 2034 when the LA Kings’ forward turns 37.
Kempe has played his entire career in Los Angeles. He was the LA Kings’ first-round pick in 2014, going 29th overall. He has played a total of 649 regular-season games, scoring 200 goals and 420 points.
The Swedish forward has been even better in the postseason. He has scored 15 goals and 20 points in 28 playoff games. Unfortunately, the Kings have failed to make it out of the first round during Kempe’s tenure with the club.
Kempe Wanted to Remain with LA Kings
There was little doubt that this deal was going to happen eventually. Kempe had been clear about wanting to remain with the LA Kings.
According to prevailing reports, Kempe not only wanted to remain with the LA Kings, but he also wanted to get his contract in tow before the New Year.
That situation made the negotiation somewhat easier for both sides. The willingness to remain together facilitated the overall process.
With his contract extension done, Kempe and the Kings can get down to the business of returning to the playoffs. The club has ridden a four-game winning streak to reclaim first place in the Pacific Division. The LA Kings are one point ahead of the Anaheim Ducks and Seattle Kraken and two points ahead of their archrivals, the Edmonton Oilers.
Kempe Could Have Gotten More in Open Market
One other prevailing thought is that Kempe could have gotten a better deal on the open market. With virtually every major 2026 UFA off the board, Kempe would have easily been next offseason’s biggest free-agent fish.
Had Kempe hit the market, he could have gotten a deal similar to, or even higher than, Kyle Connor’s. Teams looking to bolster their lineups would have been willing to pay more for Kempe than the LA Kings did.
That thought will remain mere speculation now that Kempe has secured his future in Los Angeles. In the meantime, Artemi Panarin figures to be the biggest name to hit the 2026 free-agent market.
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