November 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\nAt the highest of levels, AEG President and CEO Dan Beckerman was happy to see the Kings retain a player of Kempe\u2019s quality. <\/p>\n
Beckerman, who I spoke with last week in Washington where he was attending an event with IronBow, one of the Kings\u2019 top partners, called Kempe a \u201cfan favorite\u201d, which was clear to him, and was happy to see a player like that stay in Los Angeles. He says he doesn\u2019t check social media all that often but even he couldn\u2019t help but see the excitement coming from the fanbase around Kempe\u2019s extension. <\/p>\n
For Beckerman, Robitaille was an important piece in making sure that everyone is on the same page, all the way from the top of the corporate ladder down to Kempe himself, who maintained a regular dialogue with Robitaille throughout the process.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s simply a ton that goes into contract negotiations, involving so many people. <\/p>\n
There\u2019s the player himself and there\u2019s the agent who is negotiating on his behalf. There\u2019s the player\u2019s family and what they\u2019re looking for, especially when deciding on a long-term home. There\u2019s the team side, a General Manager, a Team President, a hockey operations staff with tons of ideas on how to improve the team. There\u2019s the ownership group, looking to win while also understanding the financial reality of the industry. <\/p>\n
It all factors in and ultimately, the factors in this situation resulted in an important extension for an important player. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think this contract shows a commitment on both sides, his commitment to the team and our commitment to him for all that he\u2019s done and all that he\u2019s going to do,\u201d Beckerman said. \u201cIt feels like it works for both sides. Both sides wanted to get a deal done \u2013 he wanted to stay and we wanted to keep him. You\u2019d like to think that that\u2019s a perfect recipe for getting it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Beckerman\u2019s job oversees several areas of AEG as a whole, the Kings are one of the most important parts of the company and he serves on the Board of Governors at the leaguewide level. Kempe is naturally one of the most important parts of the Kings, so even at the top, making sure that Kempe was taken care of and signed long term was a priority for everyone. <\/p>\n
It was there he cited his relationship with Robitaille and Holland and his trust in them to make decisions. AEG isn\u2019t an overbearing ownership group, in that they trust their hockey executives to make those decisions in the way that they believe best advances the team towards on-ice success. Having that open line of communication helps to trust that process and that was what Beckerman saw with getting Kempe extended and committed for the long haul.<\/p>\n
\u201cKen was really running point with J.P. Berry from CAA on this, but it was definitely a team effort,\u201d he said. \u201cLuc was very involved and the relationship that he has with Ken, bringing in Ken, the relationship he has with Juice and knowing him for so long, since we drafted him, I think the three of them made a good combination. We were in constant communication about how things were going, because, like I said, it was a high priority for us, so we were all following it very closely. Just glad that it was able to get done.\u201d<\/p>\n
In speaking with Holland, he confirmed there weren\u2019t any restrictions on signing Kempe when it came to term or dollar figure. The eight-year term was the maximum on the table and that was offered by the Kings from the start. Holland also indicated that Drew Doughty\u2019s $11 million per season cap hit was not an imposed ceiling, in that if the Kings needed to go higher than that, there were no restrictions coming down from above, however they also have to keep future planning in mind, establishing a salary-cap structure within the new and evolving cap world we live in. That\u2019s why Kempe taking a little bit less to stay was important, because it gives the Kings that little bit of additional flexibility to try and add other impact players around him, in hopes of improving the roster. With Kopitar\u2019s pending retirement, there\u2019s a top-six center position that needs to be filled and the Kings might need an additional top-six forward as well. It might not feel like all that much, but even $500,000 or $1,000,000 per year savings could be a different maker in making other moves work. <\/p>\n
In a rising cap world, the Kings have always been afforded the financial resources to compete. Now, they face the task of trying to replace Kopitar, which is a task they haven\u2019t had to think about for 20 years. Having Kempe signed certainly helps, which carries on a track record of drafted and developed players at a high level wanting to stay in Los Angeles. That\u2019s why Kempe taking a little bit less to stay was important, because this<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we have a pretty good track record of our critical, core players wanting to be here, wanting to sign here, wanting to stay here and wanting to win here,\u201d Beckerman added. \u201cYou start with Brownie, Kopi and Drew and now Juice. I think everybody sees what we\u2019re trying to do here, trying to compete every year and build a team that can do just that.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the Kings continue to push for success, with the goal of extending their time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the homegrown core is now surrounding Kempe in the longer run. But it\u2019ll have to grow beyond that. Players like Quinton Byfield, Brandt Clarke and Alex Laferriere are either signed or under team control and the Kings have a ton of flexibility with the salary cap to add another key piece to the group from the outside. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s probably a move to come, maybe even a little further down the road, and Holland indicated that should a younger, top-six center become available, the Kings will expend all resources to acquire that player, \u201cin there, kicking and swinging\u201d to try and acquire that player if he became available. <\/p>\n
Should it come via free agency, with an open bidding war, Beckerman is hopeful that the organization\u2019s track record in treating players well, evidenced by key players continuing to re-sign, is something that can help bring a potentially important piece into the fold, should that situation arise. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think players, hopefully, see the commitment we have for them and it\u2019s a two-way street, obviously,\u201d Beckerman added. \u201cWe\u2019re committed to building a great team around them. I think our players enjoy it, I think they like playing in LA and I think they like playing for the Kings. I think they can recognize what we\u2019re trying to build.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ultimately, it felt like a commitment to building a team that can break through the barrier that has proven to be very difficult to overcome. Good to know that the resources will be there, should they be needed.<\/p>\n
What they\u2019re trying to build got a little bit easier with Kempe\u2019s commitment, a commitment that came in below what he would\u2019ve gotten on the open market. A commitment that can, hopefully, be a small part in long-term success. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n