Rejoint: mai 2016
Messages: 14,449
Mentions "j'aime": 6,101
Kempe is a quality two-way forward and one of the best skaters in the league. His top speed doesn't rival someone like McDavid, but his acceleration and edge-work are among the league best. He's solid defensively and can kill penalties. He pretty much single-handedly solved the Kings league-worst power play issues from 2018-19, as they couldn't figure out a way to enter the zone with possession. Kempe is able to skate it in off the drop nearly every time.
The Kings started out with him at 3C, but his faceoffs are terrible (35ish %), and he's not fantastic at distributing the puck to his wingers. They moved him to LW and he has been significantly better.
A lot of Kings fans have begun to expect him to be a top-six contributor, and are disappointed when he doesn't put up big numbers. IMO, if you expect him to be a top-six player, you will be disappointed. He has the chops to be one of the best third-liners in the league, and will also be a staple at special teams on both ends of the ice. He'll be good for 15g/40p each season, with about a third of those points coming on the power play.