The Los Angeles Kings' early-season narrative has been dominated, in part, by extension talks involving impending UFA Adrian Kempe.
After Kirill Kaprizov and Connor McDavid signed their extensions earlier this season, it was only a matter of time before the dominoes began to fall. First, it was Kyle Connor in Winnipeg and then Jack Eichel and Vegas.
The latter two signings ramped up speculation that the Kings and Kempe could be the next shoe to drop. However, that doesn’t seem likely, at least not at this point in the season.
According to the Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta, the Kings and Kempe could be taking a step back. In an October 9 X post, Pagnotta had this to say:
“As I mentioned this afternoon, the Kings and Kempe’s camp are pressing ‘pause’ on extension negotiations, but are expected to resume talks later this month.”
As I mentioned this afternoon, the Kings and Kempe’s camp are pressing ‘pause’ on extension negotiations, but are expected to resume talks later this month. https://t.co/eUzHNKPk48
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) October 9, 2025
So, there is a silver lining in the matter. The Kings and Kempe’s camp could result in talks sooner rather than later. But you’d have to wonder how much longer the situation could play out. For the sake of Kings fans' sanity, a deal must get done ASAP.
Kings could look to Connor as comparable for Kempe
The Kings could look at Kyle Connor’s contract as a comparable for Kempe’s new deal. Connor signed for eight years at $12 million AAV. That number is hardly a shock. It’s well within the established parameters most pundits assumed Connor would get.
That means that Adrian Kempe could be in a similar ballpark. Perhaps he gets the same deal as Connor or something around the same AAV.
With the Kings bidding adieu to Anze Kopitar, it’s plausible to assume that some of Kopitar’s cap hit would offset Kempe’s higher AAV.
But then again, the Kings will need to be careful not to overpay for Kempe. The club will need to bring in another center to replace Kopitar, while continuing to address other crucial areas for the team.
Still, it could only be a matter of time before Kempe and the Kings work something out. The delay could just be Kempe’s camp waiting to see if other impending UFAs like Alex Tuch work something out with their respective teams.
For now, the goal will be for the Kings to get off to the best possible start as they look to finally get over the first-round hump they’ve faced the last few seasons.