Adrian Kempe wants to lock in his future with the Kings, and he’s hoping to do it sooner rather than later.
“I would like to get it done as soon as possible,” the 28-year-old forward told Sirius XM about his contract negotiations. But he’s also being careful not to rush into anything.
The timing matters a lot to Kempe. He’d rather not deal with contract uncertainty when the trade deadline approaches. “Before Christmas would be great. Before camp would be great,” he said.
It’s easy to see why Kempe’s in a strong position. He’s coming off two straight 70-point seasons, including an impressive 35 goals and 38 assists in 81 games last year.
He’s not the same player he used to be. After starting his career as more of a checking forward, Kempe has transformed into one of the NHL’s most reliable scorers, averaging 35 goals over his last four seasons.
That kind of production means he’s due for a big raise from his current $5.5 million salary.
The numbers being thrown around are eye-popping. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that Kempe’s team is asking for an eight-year deal worth $10 million per season, while the Kings are offering $9 million.
Another projection from AFP Analytics suggests a seven-year deal worth about $9.2 million annually, totaling just over $64 million.
Kempe’s made it clear he doesn’t want negotiations dragging into the trade deadline. “For me and the team, I don’t think it would be a good thing to do that,” he explained. “If I haven’t signed before the deadline, then you don’t know what’s going to happen.”
With both sides wanting to make a deal happen, including new GM Ken Holland, there’s a good chance this gets wrapped up well before any deadline pressure kicks in.
And if by some chance Kempe does hit the open market? He might actually end up getting even more than he’s asking for now, especially since top-tier free agents are pretty rare these days.
