At this point in the summer, there really isn't much for the Los Angeles Kings to do after they were able to re-sign Alex Laferriere. While the list might not be long, there is still one thing on it, and it is one of the most important things Ken Holland has to do.
The Kings as an organization is moving away from a core of Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty to a group of Quinton Byfield, Alex Laferriere, and potentially Adrian Kempe. When he is on the roster, Kempe is their top player but he is entering the final year of his contract and there is a chance that he could leave next summer.
It seems like a no-brainer from the Kings perspective, even if it means he gets a sizable salary bump from his current salary of $5.5 million. He has earned it and the Kings should have no problem offering a contract with an AAV north of $10 million.
So what is the hold up then between a new contract for Adrian Kempe with the LA Kings?
The LA Kings appear to be at the mercy of the rest of the league, as many are waiting on what top players like Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov get, as both are unrestricted free agents next summer as well. According to Elliotte Friedman, players are waiting to see what the top contract looks like, and it will provide a starting point for negotiations.
This certainly could be the case for Adrian Kempe, as he won't get a contract like McDavid's, but will be in that second tier. On top of that, an increase in the salary cap is also a factor, and it is a bit of uncharted territory around the league.
There is no question that there is plenty working against the Kings to get a deal done, and Kempe has to be willing to sign an extension. However, Adrian Kempe is too important to this team to let any negotiations linger, and something that Los Angeles should try to get ahead of, even if it means paying a little extra to get a deal done.
The Kings find themselves entering a season that feels like one more chance to get veterans like Kopitar and Doughty another Stanley Cup. When that time comes that these veterans are no longer with the Kings, they still need to be competitive and it becomes exponentially harder if Kempe is not part of that plan.