- A player in a similar, albeit not identical, boat to Eichel is Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe, who is also without a contract for next season. It was reported earlier this month by Pagnotta that Kempe’s camp was seeking an eight-year, $10MM AAV contract extension, while the Kings were hoping to sign a deal more in the range of $9MM AAV. With that disagreement in mind, both Kempe’s representatives (led by CAA’s J.P. Barry) and the Kings elected to postpone contract talks – likely until each side could see the value of Kaprizov’s contract. Now with that matter settled, both sides are set to resume contract negotiations, according to The Fourth Period’s Dennis Bernstein. While Kempe, 29, is not considered the same level of player as Kaprizov, he nonetheless has easily cleared the 70-point plateau in each of the last two seasons and has thrice scored at least 35 goals in a season. It would be fair to speculate that if the disagreement between Kempe’s camp and the Kings remains on whether he’s worth closer to $9MM and $10MM AAV on his next deal, the fact that Kaprizov will make $17MM will almost certainly aid Kempe’s side of the argument.
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