It's that time of the year when some of the top players at each position group for the Los Angeles Kings will be included in the annual position-by-position rankings from NHL Network.
In this past couple of weeks, NHL Network has started releasing its position-by-position rankings ahead of the upcoming 2026-27 season. On the recently released list of the NHL Network's top 20 wingers going into the 2026-27 season, the Kings had one star forward representing them on the ranking.
Star winger Artemi Panarin rang in at No. 12 on the list, a respectable placement for the veteran after another productive season this past year. Yet, arguably the bigger story from these rankings for the Kings was one player who didn't make the list: Adrian Kempe.
Adrian Kempe has done enough to earn a top-20 spot
Kempe's production and consistency in the last few seasons for the Kings has put him in an echelon where he should be considered a top 20 winger in the NHL this offseason. He's one of just a single-digit number of forwards in the NHL who have registered 35 goals, 70 points, and five game-winning goals in the last two consecutive seasons.
He's also been the Kings' most dependable scorer in the last few seasons, while providing steady two-way value and making an impact on special teams on the power play. Kempe was clutch for the Kings this past regular season, with his eight game-winning goals ranking in the top 10 in the NHL.
Panarin being ranked at No. 12 on this list really isn't the problem from the Kings' perspective. It's the fact that NHL Network apparently doesn't believe that Kempe belongs somewhere among the next eight spots. Given his production over this past couple of seasons, that's difficult to justify.
A couple of the players who did make the cut here, including Detroit Red Wings' Lucas Raymond and Anaheim Ducks' Cutter Gauthier, both don't have the established production and/or the recent goal-scoring consistency that he brings to the Kings.
Raymond, ranked 20th on this list, has scored fewer goals and fewer game-winning goals than Kempe in the last two seasons. He only has more total points in one of the last two seasons when compared to Kempe.
Gauthier did have a breakout 40-goal season for the Ducks this past regular season. But Gauthier still had fewer total points than Kempe, and he hasn't shown over the course of multiple seasons that he can produce at the same level and consistency.
While Kempe doesn't need to be ranked ahead of Panarin to deserve recognition as one of the NHL's 20 best wingers, the numbers bear out that he does belong in this ranking. After consecutive 35-goal, 70-point seasons and years of being the Kings' most reliable scorer, leaving him off the list entirely feels like an oversight.
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