New general manager Ken Holland and the Los Angeles Kings officially begin training camp and the preseason for the upcoming 2025-26 campaign in the West later this week on Sunday (Sep. 21) against the Anaheim Ducks. The Kings have the talent and depth on the projected roster for the upcoming season to make the postseason from the Pacific Division.
Contract discussions are the priority for the Los Angeles Kings front office with Adrian Kempe in camp this fall
Before the Kings begin the upcoming regular season in the West early next month in early October, Holland and the LA front office still have some work to do.
It is a priority for the Kings to get standout winger Adrian Kempe signed to a new contract, potentially before December or at least the turn of the calendar year from 2025 to 2026 in a few months. Kempe is among the Kings' most important playmaking forwards for the top-six forward lines this season. He is due for a new contract this upcoming season and before the 2026 offseason.
Kempe is an unrestricted free agent next summer in the 2026 offseason. He is going into the final year of a four-year contract he signed a few years ago, worth around $5.5 million in average annual value.
Kempe told The Fourth Period in a recent interview that he's not in a "rush" to get a deal done.
"I would like to get it done as soon as possible, but I don’t want to rush anything. But I also don’t want to come around after Christmas and the deadline’s coming up and I’m sitting there not knowing where we’re at or we’re not on terms."Adrian Kempe
The Kings star winger looks to want to get a deal done to stay in LA next summer and going into the 2026 offseason.
"Before Christmas would be great, before camp would be great."Adrian Kempe
Kempe is among the premier wingers in the Western Conference this upcoming season. He's scored over 25 goals for the Kings in the past four seasons, including a team-high 35 goals this past year in the 2024-25 season.
"For me and the team, I don’t think it would be a good thing doing that. For me, I feel if I haven’t signed before the deadline, then you don’t know what’s going to happen. I love L.A., my family likes it, that’s the place I want to be, but it has to be fair for me and has to be fair for the team to come to an agreement."Adrian Kempe
He also told The Fourth Period that LA is where he wants to be in the long-term for him and his family with the Kings.
The Kings begin the preseason on Sep. 21 against the Ducks. Head coach Jim Hiller and LA open the regular season in the 2025-26 campaign on Oct. 7 against the