While it is the offseason for most hockey players, they can't help but look forward to next season. In the middle of that season, some players will not get a break but instead will be heading to Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics, and that includes Los Angeles Kings' forward Adrian Kempe.
Kempe was one of six players announced on Monday morning as part of the preliminary roster for Team Sweden. He is joined by William Nylander, Victor Hedman, Lucas Raymond, Rasmus Dahlin, and Gabriel Landeskog.
There is no question that Adrian Kempe is the top player on the Los Angeles Kings, and he will have a chance to prove he is one of the best in the world at the Olympics. He didn't participate in the IIHF World Championship this year but looked great in the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off with a goal in three games.
Kempe was a first round pick by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2014 NHL Draft and has played in 630 regular season games for Los Angeles. He has 194 career goals with 139 goals just in the past four seasons.
Will Adrian Kempe have a new contract from the Los Angeles Kings before the Olympics?
One of the underlying storylines for the Los Angeles Kings this summer is whether or not they sign Adrian Kempe to a contract extension. The star forward is entering the final year of his contract and with the way he has played, the contract value can only go up from here.
This should absolutely be a priority of general manager Ken Holland and something he should get done sooner rather than later. It is not something that needs to be talked about over the course of the season and potentially serve as a distraction for the Los Angeles Kings and their fans.