With the stakes at their highest, Kings forward Adrian Kempe is once again rising to the occasion

It feels like Adrian Kempe has been building towards this moment.

He broke out with his 35 goals last season. He earned a long-term, lucrative contract extension in the offseason. He followed up his 35 goals by adding five more, the first King to hit 40 in nearly 30 years. Now, with the stage greater and the lights brighter in the postseason, Kempe is raising his level once again.

Kempe has been as consistent as they come for the Kings through five games. He has at least one point in each of the five games thus far, one of just four players so far in the postseason that has a point in five consecutive games. Overall, Kempe is tied with linemate Anze Kopitar today with a team-best seven points. Throughout the course of the series, as the Kings as a whole have had ups and downs, Kempe’s play has been a constant on a game-to-game basis as he’s made an impact on the series thus far.

“I think in this series, his size, his legs, his tenacity are all allowing him to be an effective player night after night,” Todd McLellan said. “It’s not every shift, nobody can be effective every shift, but when he does get the opportunity to use those three attributes, he does a really good job with them. He’s arguably been our best player in the series.”

Powerful words from McLellan, who has witnessed Kempe’s well-documented growth over the last couple of seasons on a larger scale, but even in smaller gaps as he’s continued to improve.

Teams now have to gameplan for Kempe as a game-breaking offensive player, who can create both off the rush and in the offensive zone through the qualities that McLellan mentioned – speed, size and tenacity. His skating ability allows him to get into dangerous positions to beat you with his shot both in open ice and in tighter situations. It speaks volumes about the game he brings.

It’s that combination of tools, and how he’s applied them, that’s made Kempe an elite player in this league……and Kempe IS an elite player.

“He’s arrived and he’s an elite player in the National Hockey League,” McLellan said. “He is confident, but not arrogant, he uses his tools on a nightly basis and even when he’s not scoring, he does a lot of good things. He’s a great player for today’s game because he can be physical, he can be fast, he can be strong, he’s smart, he’s got a shot. The more tools you bring in as a player right now, the more valuable you are to your team.”

Speaking of tools, Kempe’s most noticeable recognition on a wider scale comes through his offensive contributions.

In the postseason to date, Kempe leads all players in the NHL in shots on goal and is tied for third in shot attempts. He’s also tied for sixth in the NHL in rebounds created at 5-on-5 and Alex Iafallo’s goal in Game 5 came directly off a rebound after a well-placed Kempe shot. Overall, he has shot for volume as well as anyone, but he’s also been one of the team’s best at generating higher-quality chances as well, ranking just outside the league’s Top 10 in scoring chances.

AI GETS ONE BACK! pic.twitter.com/2HV8G3QhtM

— x – LA Kings (@LAKings) April 26, 2023

The creation has led to his four goals, all while firing at nearly an identical clip to the regular season in terms of shooting percentage. The game as a whole elevates at this time of the year and Kempe has risen accordingly……and then some.

“It’s awesome to see Juice doing so well, accelerating his game,” Iafallo said. “It just comes with the same mindset, I think that’s why he’s so consistent, using his speed, using his legs and driving the puck to the net with his good hands. You can see it throughout his whole game, defensively and offensively.”

There’s also the other side of the coin when it comes to Kempe, who is trusted as much as anyone with regards to difficult matchups. Throughout this series to date, Kempe has played more than 75 percent of his time against Leon Draisaitl. Over the last two games, Draisaitl has been on a line with Connor McDavid, meaning that Kempe is facing both players on the majority of his shifts.

Results in that area have been a mixed bag, with Draisaitl currently the NHL’s leading scorer throughout the postseason. While the Oilers big guys have certainly gotten the theirs, no question about it, Kempe has just one fewer even-strength point than Draisaitl does. The Kings haven’t shut down Edmonton’s big guns, but they’ve generally held serve at even strength. His usual linemate, Quinton Byfield, understands Kempe’s defensive commitment, on top of his offensive accolades.

“It’s been huge, he’s been a great player all year for us,” Byfield said. “He can contribute any way, scoring and making plays, but he doesn’t just do that. He kills penalties for us, hits, he makes big-time plays defensively, he’s trusted everywhere. He’s been a great player for us all year and in the playoffs.”

While Kempe’s high level has been regarded within the organization, he’s starting to get more and more recognition on a national level, as his performance has risen during the playoffs.

Few can offer Kempe’s complete package of abilities. A flowing skater with 40-goal ability and a quick release, but also a relentless commitment on the backcheck and a willingness to embrace the most difficult matchups an opponent has to offer. Kempe’s complete package is a big part of why the Kings have been as tight as they have been in this series.

“He’s an unbelievable player,” forward Blake Lizotte said. “If you look at his track record the last couple of years, obviously he’s able to score goals and put up points, but not only that, it’s what he brings away from the puck as well. Through and through, he’s just a great player and I think playoffs really reveal how good he really is. I don’t know if he always gets the respect around the league. Now, he’s had a couple 30, 40 goal years, so now his name’s around but yeah, I hate to say underrated, but for our team he’s vital.”

The Kings will need more of the same from Kempe during Game 6 on Saturday and hopefully beyond that as well.

It starts at the top for the Kings, with a big game needed from their big players. And so on down the lineup. Kempe has become a leader on this Kings team through his play. As he’s grown more comfortably, that leadership has become more vocal as well. The Kings will need that same level from Kempe in a pivotal Game 6. If you ask McLellan, he’s confident he’ll get it.

“We’re gonna need that from him for a couple more games, and I believe we can get it from him.”

Photo by Juan Ocampo/NHLI via Getty Images