The “Juice” will flow for another eight years as the Kings and Adrian Kempe have agreed to an $85 million, maximum-term contract extension.
The pact was first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
Kempe, 29, is on track to lead the club in points for a third straight season. His 145 goals since his breakout campaign of 2021-22 place him 21st in the NHL during that span.
He has also proven extremely versatile, playing not only all situations but all positions. He broke into the league as a center but has flourished on Anže Kopitar’s wing and also filled in on defense intermittently.
Kempe represents Sweden internationally and will do so for the first time at the Olympics come February, when the NHL will send its best and brightest to Milan. He was part of the initial group of six players named to the Tre Kronor selection this past summer.
Kempe’s signing ended months of speculation, fueled in no small part by the Kings’ inability to retain Matt Roy and Vladislav Gavrikov in consecutive offseasons. In all three cases, the Kings expressed high interest and varying levels of certainty that the players would re-sign.
Kempe joined Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor, Martin Necas, Kirill Kaprizov and Connor McDavid among the high-profile forwards to avert free agency with a recent extension. His new annual average value is nearly double his previous per annum of $5.5 million.
The deal is the richest in franchise history for a forward and second only to defenseman Drew Doughty’s eight-year, $88 million contract set to expire after next season.
Related Posts:
- Lakers Reportedly Discussed Anthony Davis Trade with Hated Rival Before Luka Doncic Deal Sports The Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks pulled off their massive blockbuster trade involving Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis months ago, but the league is still reeling from the impact of this trade. Case in point, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison was fired earlier this week for his role in…
- Kings top Maple Leafs on Quinton Byfield’s overtime goal News TORONTO — The road warriors rang up another win. Quinton Byfield scored on a one-timer 35 seconds into overtime to give the Kings a 4-3 victory over the injury-plagued Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night. Warren Foegele, Kevin Fiala and Alex Laferriere also scored for the Kings, who won their…
- Kings edge Senators in Anton Forsberg’s return to Ottawa News OTTAWA, Ontario — Anton Forsberg made 17 saves in his Ottawa return for his first shutout of the season, Alex Laferriere scored in the first period and the Kings beat the Senators 1-0 on Saturday night. Forsberg was playing his first game against Ottawa after spending parts of five seasons…
- Domantas Sabonis Could Be the First to Go in Kings Fire Sale Sports The Sacramento Kings are running out of rope. At 3â10 with little sign of turning things around, the franchise has stumbled into the type of early-season spiral that forces difficult conversations. A frustrated coaching staff, a roster built around veterans who arenât producing, and a new general manager in Scott…
- Kings’ Doughty to miss “a few weeks” per reports News Just when things were looking up for the Kings, they will once again have to contend with the extended absence of defenseman Drew Doughty. The alternate captain, Norris Trophy winner, and two-time Stanley Cup champion will miss multiple weeks of action, per multiple reports. Saturday, Doughty was struck in the…
(Visited 2 times, 2 visits today)