For NHL teams with a superstar nearing free agency, silence on contract talks usually brings bad vibes. For rivals, it sparks wishful thinking.
So while Los Angeles Kings fans worry over the stalled negotiations with Adrian Kempe, Vancouver Canucks supporters can let their minds wander — picturing the high-scoring power forward flying down the wing beside Elias Pettersson.
Kings GM Ken Holland recently appeared on “Canucks Central” for Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver to talk about his team as the season approaches. When asked about the situation with Kempe, Holland talked about the challenges that teams, players and agents are facing to blaze a path through the “new salary cap territory,” with a flat cap since 2020 broken up by rapid increases over the next three seasons.
Adrian Kempe Hitting Free Agency Amid ‘New Salary Cap Territory’
Amid the industry changes, the 2026 offseason, as situations currently stand, could end being the craziest free agency period in league history. And not just due to the pending UFA status of Connor McDavid.
In addition to arguably the NHL’s best player, Kirill Kaprizov, Artemi Panarin, Jack Eichel, and Kyle Connor could also be free to sign with any team, starting next July. But there’s also Martin Necas, Alex Tuch, Sergei Bobrovsky….
Kempe is one of many franchise-altering players who will be signing a contract with somebody by the start of the 2026-27 season, and with the rapidly changing contractual landscape, everybody seems to be waiting for someone else to take the leap.
“Right now, given the cap going as it is, there probably isn’t really a marketplace,” Holland said.
Kaprizov’s reported rejection of an eight-year, $128-million contract from the Minnesota Wild, which would have made him the highest paid player in the league, has pundits and prognosticators wondering how high contracts will go, and how much teams will stomach paying. While the majority of the pending UFAs will likely stay with their current team, it’s tough to imagine that all of them will.
Which would make any Canucks fans listening to Holland earlier this week imagine what Kempe could do on a line with Pettersson.
Pending Free Agent Adrian Kempe Would Look Great on Canucks’ Top Line
Talking about the standoff between Kempe and the Kings during Tuesday’s episode of “The Sheet with Jeff Marek” podcast for Daily Faceoff, Marek wondered aloud about the potential of Kempe and Pettersson lining up together, suggesting a side benefit could be the impact on Vancouver’s captain, Quinn Hughes.
“But couldn’t you see it? If he hits free agency, wouldn’t Vancouver Canucks be all over this guy after playing against him and knowing him for as long as Vancouver has?” Marek said to guest Greg Wyshinski. “And if you want to plunk someone on the wing with Elias Patterson, you want to try to prove to Quinn Hughes that, you know, we’re doing everything we can here to keep this team competitive.”
“He’s a premium goal scorer on the wing,” Wyshinski agreed. “They don’t grow on trees. But he’s also 29 though.”
Given the recent news that has come out for the Kings, it would make sense if Kempe and the team decided the time was right to part ways. With Anze Kopitar announcing that this will be his final season, Los Angeles appears destined for a youth movement behind growing players like Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte, Alex Lafferiere and Brandt Clarke.
Kempe, who turned 29 a few weeks ago, may not fit in the Kings’ long-term plans, especially for what NHL insiders like Paul Bissonnette of the “Spittin’ Chiclets” podcast believe will likely be over $10 million per season. But Kempe would fit nicely in the Canucks lineup.
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