This article will be another in my series of player profiles, where I review the season of every player on the Los Angeles Kings. This piece will focus on Adrian Kempe.
This was a strong year for Kempe and his goal and point totals don’t really reflect how much he contributed. Kempe scored 11 goals and 32 points in 69 games this year, a pace of 13 goals and 38 points per 82 games. He managed to do this with a shooting percentage of just 7.8 per cent, while the Kings also had a shooting percentage of just 6.3 per cent when Kempe was on the ice, which can contribute to his lack of assists.
He had an increased role this season, playing about 16 minutes per game, which was the fifth-most minutes of any Kings forward, compared to his 14:30 per game last season. He also had a major role on the power play, where he played about 2:30 per game, up from 1:21 per game the year before, while he also played nearly a minute per game on the penalty kill.
Something to note about Kempe was how many more shots he was generating this season. After two seasons of around 120 shots per 82, Kempe saw a huge increase this season, averaging 176 shots per 82. He also had an excellent corsi for percentage of 55.9 per cent which ranked second-highest amongst Kings forwards (min. 5 games played).
Based on the large role and both his low shooting percentage this year and the team’s while he was on the ice, I’m predicting that we’ll see a jump in Kempe’s production next season. I’d bet that he hits at least 15 goals and around 45 points.
He’s still just 23 years old, so it’s hard to say exactly what his ceiling is offensively. I think the ideal long-term spot for Kempe is probably as a middle-six winger but due to the Kings’ lack of depth, he’ll likely continue to play in a larger role for the time being.
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Here’s today’s poll question (results and discussion will be posted in a future article):
How many points do you expect from Adrian Kempe next season?
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