LA Kings’ Adrian Kempe is an Underrated Swedish Star

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.

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.