Adrian Kempe and his status as a pending UFA without a contract extension have been the talk of the town for the Los Angeles Kings. Further, after visiting the giant hockey markets Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, you can expect some extra media coverage and reports on the matter.

Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened.

Also, it so happens that Kempe’s agent, J.P. Barry, is located in Toronto, leaving an opportunity for Kings GM Ken Holland to have another conversation with him regarding negotiations for signing Kempe to a contract extension.

On the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman reported that the two sides aren’t necessarily there yet.

“I do believe, as I said many times, that the player wants to stay and the team wants to keep him,” Friedman said. “But, I still think there’s a gap.”

He noted that on another Sportsnet radio show, hosted by Nick Kypreos and Justin Bourne, Kings president Luc Robitaille was brought on as a guest and was asked about current negotiations with Kempe’s camp.

Friedman thought it was interesting because, while he believes there is still work to do, in terms of finalizing a deal for Kempe, Robitaille sounded relatively optimistic regarding the process.

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The Sportsnet insider and reporter pointed out that Barry has been an in-season negotiator before. Other clients, such as Boston Bruins’ David Pastrnak and Vancouver Canucks’ Filip Chytil, were signed to contract extensions in March 2023.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic had further reports on these contract discussions.

He spoke to Kempe ahead of Los Angeles’ 4-3 overtime win on Thursday in Toronto.

“It’s not weighing on me,” Kempe told The Athletic. “My focus right now is just playing. Like I said before, I’m not trying to think about it too much. I’m just focused on the game and let them do the job. My intention is to stay. I love it (here).”

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Holland was also asked about getting a deal done with Kempe soon. The veteran GM doesn’t seem to be fazed or worried about the intentions of both parties. 

“Certainly we want to keep him,” Holland told LeBrun. “I certainly believe he wants to be a King. I don’t think it’s been acrimonious or there’s been any ill-will.”

This is Kempe’s final year under his four-year, $5.5-million contract. LeBrun noted that Martin Necas’ recent contract extension, which saw him ink an eight-year deal at $11.5 million per season, is a key comparable in these extension talks.

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“My sense is that the range being discussed for Kempe is $9.5 million to $11.5 million per year on a long-term deal,” LeBrun wrote.

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