Kings’ Adrian Kempe wants to stay in Los Angeles, but no rush for extension
An important player in Hollywood wants to stay put.
When speaking to reporters during the NHL Player Media Tour on Tuesday, Los Angeles Kings forward was asked about his current contract situation with the team.
Kempe stated that there’s no rush from him or the Kings on an extension at this moment, though he made his intentions clear that he wants to stay in Los Angeles. The 28-year-old noted that he expects conversations to pick up in the coming weeks and months.
Adrian Kempe, entering last year of his contract, just sat down with our media gathering at the NHL Player Media Tour in Vegas. He says there's no rush from his end or the team on an extension but he feels talks will pick up in the next few weeks or months. Wants to stay in LA.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) September 10, 2025Kempe is heading into the final season of his four-year contract that he signed with the team in July 2022. The deal has a cap hit of $5.5 million with a modified no-trade clause, where the player had to submit a 10-team no-trade list.
Kempe has been an important player for the Kings for the last several years, bringing skill as well as some bite to a team that has been a consistent Stanley Cup Playoff contender. The Swedish winger has been in the top three in scoring in each of the past four seasons, including leading the Kings with 75 points during the 2023-24 campaign.
Last year, Kempe posted a team-high 35 goals and 73 points in 81 games, the only King to reach 70 points in 2024-25. He went on to score 10 points in the first round of the playoffs, even though L.A. was knocked out by the Edmonton Oilers (again) in six games.
In 630 NHL regular-season games, all with the Kings, Kempe has scored 194 goals and 207 assists for 401 points, with another 29 points in 28 postseason contests.
Kempe isn’t the only King who is currently listed to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2025-26 season. Forward Andrei Kuzmenko is heading into the final season of his contract, which has a $4.3 million cap hit. Also, Kopitar has one more year remaining on his deal, though his future on the ice is still up in the air.
According to PuckPedia, the Kings are projected to have over $33.7 million in cap space for the 2026-27 season, when the salary cap is expected to rise to $104 million.