Kings forward Adrian Kempe recently took himself off next summer’s free agent market by signing an eight-year, $85MM contract extension. Speaking with HockeySverige’s Martin Jansson , he acknowledged he likely left some money on the table considering how quickly the UFA class is drying up. He also indicated that he lowered his salary request which appears to be what pushed this deal across the finish line. Kempe is in his tenth NHL season, all spent with Los Angeles. He’s off to a strong start with 19 points in his first 20 games, a point-per-game pace that would be the second-best of his career. If that holds over the full season, the beginning of the deal could wind up being team-friendly, though there is some risk in the final few years given that he’ll be in his age-30 seaso

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