Holland Wants To Keep Adrian Kempe Long-Term as Anze Kopitar Will Go Year to Year
Los Angeles Kings New General Manager, Ken Holland, joined NHL Morning Skate on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio with Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick. He was asked about the new contracts for Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
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Scott Laughlin: “The Hall of Famer Ken Holland joining us here on the NHL Morning Skate. Scott Laughlin here with Gord Stellick. With your former team, Ken, there’s a guy who could be extended this summer that’s drawing an awful lot of attention, obviously, Connor McDavid.
I just wonder about both, somebody like an Anze Kopitar, who’s a franchise icon. Start to finish, looks like he’s going to be a Los Angeles King. He’s going to go to the Hall of Fame himself someday as well. I wonder where you would want to go with him, entering the final year of his contract.
Now he can be extended, and you’ve got a guy who is what, nine years younger in a great power forward in Adrian Kempe as well, that’s entering the last year of his contract. So I just wonder what you hope for each of those players, the captain Kopitar, and Adrian Kempe, that you could maybe get something done in an extension done before you drop the buck in October.”
Ken Holland: “Well, I talked to both their agents in Pat Brisson and JP Barry. So in Kopitar’s case, he wants to take it a year at a time, and he’ll assess where he’s at at the end of the season. I respect that, so he’s earned that, right? So I know he’s excited for the upcoming year, and then somewhere down the road, we’ll talk about the following season.
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In Kempe’s situation with JP Barry, we’ve talked about a couple of things. We’re going to get ramped up here. Obviously, I’d like to sign him to an extension. He’s an important guy on the team. I believe he wants to stay. JP Barry said he wants to stay. I did talk to Adrian the day I was announced as manager, and got real good feelings on him. So I got to get going on that front. Certainly, I want to get him signed to a long-term deal. He’s a really important part of the team.”
The Mayor: “Not expecting Kopitar to sign an extension of any sort. Enjoy his final season in the NHL.”
Per @mayorNHL
Don’t expect #GoKingsGo F Anze Kopitar to sign an extension of any sort. In the final year of his 2-year x $7M deal. Will be 38 years old
If this is it for Kopitar; had one hell of a career:
– 1278 points in 1454 games
– 2x Cup Champ
– 2x Selke winner
– 3x Lady… pic.twitter.com/1Xlgz8fH0q— Joseph (@HockeyJoseph10) July 18, 2025
Anze Kopitar’s New Contract Will Wait Until After the Year
New Los Angeles Kings General Manager Ken Holland joined the crew on NHL Tonight on the NHL Network. He was asked about Quinton Byfield and whether he saw him as a center or wing. However, Holland subtly mentioned that Kopitar will wait out the season before deciding whether or not to sign another contract with the Kings.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Stu Grimson: “A key piece to this roster Ken, Quinton Byfield. We’ve all admired him from a distance up here. And, I think everybody would echo just, there’s a whole lot upside here. What do you envision for the coming years? Quinton Byfield, a center through and through? Does he play that spot? Because we’ve seen a bit of it, it’s been kind of hybrid, and maybe mostly wing at this point.”
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Ken Holland: “We see him as a center ice man going forward. I’ve talked a lot to Jim Hiller and the people here in LA since I got hired. Obviously a top two center iceman, maybe a number one.
Obviously, Anze Kopitar is there for right now, and Kopi, he’s on the last year of his contract, and I’ll talk to him and his agent, his people, over the course of the year. I think Anze would like to take the year and then see where he’s at.
So, Byfield is a top two line center iceman. Big guy. He’s just coming into his own when he’s 22-23 years of age. 6’4″, he’s big and powerful. Obviously, he’s a big part of the team. But now and going forward.”
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