Kempe slides into the ninth spot, behind Joel Eriksson Ek and ahead of Rickard Rakell, when we look at where his 58 points rank amongst Swedish-born players in 2022-23.
Interestingly, out of the players in the top 10, his contract ($5.4 MM) ranks sixth behind Karlsson ($11 MM), Zibanejad ($8.5 MM), Pettersson ($7.3 MM), Nylander ($6.9 MM), and Rasmus Dahlin ($6.0 MM).
Furthermore, Kempe is wrapping up the first year of his latest contract extension, which runs out at the end of the 2025-26 season. Although he is not the highest-paid player on the Kings’ roster, he is one of their best offensive threats, a bargain at $5.4 million.
First career four-goal game for Adrian Kempe! 👏 pic.twitter.com/OCZsgMoXXm
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) February 12, 2023
Conversely, since the start of 2021-22, Kempe has constantly ranked amongst the best players on his team and those from his home country despite the recognition he deserves.
Even though he’s playing in the second-largest metropolitan area in the United States, he will end up having one of the season’s quietest 40-goal campaigns. Consequently, it is a shame that so many fans outside of the LA area continue to miss his performances night in and night out.