Why haven’t the Los Angeles Kings extended Adrian Kempe yet? They have to get it done
Sportsnet: Dennis Bernstein on The FAN Hockey Show with Mike Futa and Matt Marchese about Adrian Kempe and why he hasn’t signed a contract extension with the Los Angeles Kings yet.
Futa: “How important is it, and how close are they to getting Kempe done, Dennis?”
Bernstein: “They’re not close. Now, here’s the thing. The market shifted to the King. They could have gotten it for ten million dollars this summer, and they offered less than nine.
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And then, you know, guys like Luke Hughes and Jackson got nine. So, and Kyle Connor, Connor is obviously a different story. (Kirill) Kaprizov is a different story. It’s probably going to cost them 11 and a half million, and they’re not there yet.
But the point is, Mike, they have to bring this guy back. Two years ago they lost Matt Roy. Last year (Vladislav) Gavrikov lost. You can’t let guys walk away, especially this player. This player could be the captain, the next captain of the Kings. He wants to stay. I talked to him in Vegas when we did the media tour with him. He would sign for eight years. The player wants to stay. The Netherlands must pay him. It’s that simple. That’s where the market is now. The market turned against him. It’s a shame for them that he wanted to stay on the line, but now they had to pay him.’
Futa: “I think that’s: we said there are certain teams, including LA. This guy is a homegrown talent, and he’s evolved into something. The only thing we were worried about when we drafted him was his natural ability to score goals.”
Marchese: “I think he realizes that.”
Futa: “No, but he’s never been a big offensive producer.”
Bernstein: “Right, he wasn’t.”
Futa: “Every goal he scored, you thought, how do you shoot the puck like that and become a 10 or 15 goal scorer? Now he’s got the confidence. He’s got the 60-yard game. He loves it there. They don’t call him ‘juice’ for nothing. The guy is all LA. And, I mean, as (Anze Kopitar) moves on, this is the guy who actually has to lock him in. (Quinten) Byfield for, until be the future of this, like the core of this group.
I, I can’t believe that’s not the case. You just don’t look at what happened to Connor and say, ‘If he’s anything less than Conor, then you’re right.’ You immediately join 11, 11.5 and get it done. So you don’t have to deal with these things for the kids all season long.”
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Marchese: “What I don’t understand about how that, like this deal for me, is supposed to be, is that this is supposed to be easy for LA. You don’t really have guys coming up that you’re like, ‘We’ve got to brace ourselves for this big expansion.’
Bernstein: “Yes, yes.”
Marchese: “And that’s the part that confuses me the most, is I look at the player and say, ‘perfect fit.’ And offensively, offensively gifted, and he’s responsible for his own ends. For example, these are the kind of guys that A) you want to keep around, but are happy to pay to stay around. Why don’t they want to cross that $10 million mark, Dennis? That, for example, is the part that I don’t understand.”
Bernstein: “I don’t know. I don’t know, and I’m sure it’s upsetting for the player. And I talked to him about when you’re going to sign, he says, ‘Look, I get that clear deadline and I’m not signed. That’s a big deal.’ As he says at Christmas, maybe Thanksgiving.
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But the thing is, Matt, there is no replacement player. Take a look at their prospect pool. There is no player who comes like that. They set, you know, they get guys drafted, and it’s worked by guys like Alex Laferrier, right? That’s, that’s the type, that’s the model that they’ve set up. They don’t have a replacement with 35 goals for this team.
So I don’t know why it’s taking so long, but you know, sometimes one phone call makes a difference. But they have to get it done. I’d be shocked if he’s not an LA King because that’s a big misstep because he wants to play. He deserves that. It has been executed. He’s dangerous. You know, the last thing the Edmonton Oilers want to see in the playoffs again, even if they’ve won four in a row, is Adrian Kempe. He’s a killer in the playoffs. It’s stunning considering what’s happening in the market right now with other similar players.”
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