Adrian Kempe could be a small step below William Nylander and Kyle Connor
chris johnston show: Chris Johnston on Los Angeles Kings pending UFA forward Adrian Kempe and where their talks will take place.
** Transcribed by NHLRumors.com
“You know, Kempe and the Kings certainly had a lot of discussions, and I think what they described to me were productive discussions. They don’t necessarily see the world the same way. If they did, they probably would have signed a contract at this point.
But I think the Kings are losing Anze Kopitar at the end of the season. You know, they’re still in their competitive window. They’re trying, they’re trying to move forward as an organization. So I think giving up on a player who has scored at this level in the last few seasons of the season. Is a unique player. You know, he shoots penalties and scores at a pretty high rate. He’s actually very physical. If you look at his hitting numbers as an offensive player.
You know, I think it’s really about them getting to some kind of number that both sides can get to, but there’s still a lot of time before the summer and I think any talks could fall apart, but it feels like we’ll end up signing another player.
So, you know, I think the relevant contract on his side is, you know, he likes the $11.5 million extension that William Nylander signed in Toronto a few years ago. Then, Kyle Connor completed his $12 million deal in Winnipeg. Kempe’s numbers don’t quite match those players’ goal numbers, but he’s certainly in that range. So, you know, if this contract gets done, it’s going to be a big contract.
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