Kempe gets done

[CaptHowdy00]

4 years $22 million.

Kings, Adrian Kempe agree to 4-year deal: Sources

The Los Angeles Kings and forward Adrian Kempe have agreed to a four-year, $22 million deal, The Athletic has learned. Kempe led Los Angeles with a career-high 35 goals and added 19 assists during a breakout 2021-22 season. The 25-year-old Swede was drafted by the Kings at No. 29 in the first...

theathletic.com

 

[Kings4OT]

Im ok with that deal

 

[Stunner_At_Staples_Kings]

Actually okay with the deal as well. Nice bump for Kempe and term/cap are pretty manageable. Hoping last year wasn't a career year for Fiala and Kempe but Kings having a little forward depth should allow these guys some room on the ice to keep producing.

On paper this team is looking a lot stronger. Just need to get bigger and hopefully have one or two (Of a few) of these prospects finally emerge.

 

[PuckinUgly57]

Greetings jabronis...

I think this is a good deal for Kempe. It's limited to 4 years, which I think is a good thing based on how he blew his career numbers out of the water this past season. We've all seen players have career years in contract years, get handed a retirement contract and then never live up to it again. I think the term and dollar is fair and in case he does revert to his < 20 goal self it's palatable and leads him to UFA status.

Like Stunner is saying though, the Kings need some of these prospects to start showing some legitimate value at the NHL level. Ironically Kempe is the last Kings draft pick to have panned out (2014), there hasn't been much since and the last 6 drafts have been high/decent 1st round spots (sans this year of course). You guys all know my stance on prospects - they are highly touted, great, they have talent, great, they have character, great, now show it at the NHL level - but nothing has developed in these last 5 drafts.

Hopefully with these veterans in place like Dunno, Fiala, Arvidsson, etc. and The Core allows them to develop without a lot of pressure on them but then again making the POs this year when it was unexpected automatically does that to force them to make the next step.

The Kings seriously need some of these prospects to start becoming NHL regulars, their peers in their respective draft years are doing that already across the league.