The Los Angeles Kings still have a big leadership decision hanging over the start of training camp and the preseason: who takes over as captain after Anze Kopitar?
For now, that answer may not arrive before opening night of the 2026-27 regular season. Zach Dooley of LA Kings Insider raised that possibility on a recent episode of the DLLS Stars podcast, suggesting new head coach Peter Laviolette could open the season with three alternate captains instead of immediately naming a permanent replacement for Kopitar.
If that’s the route the Kings choose, Adrian Kempe is a name that keeps standing out.
Dooley pointed to Kempe as the player who could eventually separate himself from the rest of the leadership group and become the strongest captain candidate. It’s an easy case to make. Kempe has grown into one of the faces of the franchise, has arguably become the team’s best player, and has continued to take on more responsibility as a leader.
He already has a place in the Kings’ leadership structure. Kempe served as an alternate captain last regular season along with Drew Doughty and Mikey Anderson, which puts him right in the middle of the conversation.
He has also talked before about becoming more vocal on the ice while still trying to set the tone by example away from it. With the way he has learned from Kopitar, it’s not hard to imagine Kempe, Anderson, and Doughty being the three leading contenders for the job.
The production backs it up too. Kempe led the Kings in goals, game-winning goals, and total points in the most recent regular season.
He also earned Team MVP honors from the local media. On top of that, he has put together back-to-back seasons with at least 35 goals and 70 points.
The strongest point in Kempe’s favor may be the simplest one: he looks like the long-term answer. Doughty’s NHL career appears to be moving toward the finish line in the near future, while Kempe is locked in on an eight-year, $85 million extension that runs through the end of the 2033-34 season.
After that deal was announced last fall, general manager Ken Holland said Kempe "is incredibly valuable to the team" and added:
"We are thrilled to have Adrian signed for the next eight seasons. He is an elite competitor who’s developed into one of the League's most dynamic two-way forwards, and his growth since joining the Kings organization has been tremendous. Adrian's presence both as a player and a leader is incredibly valuable to the team."
Doughty has said he would love to be the next captain, but he also acknowledged that being in the final year of his current contract creates some tension around the idea of him wearing the "C" this season.
Kempe has another edge in this discussion: he’s homegrown. The Kings drafted him in 2014, developed him in-house, and he has spent his entire NHL career in black and silver. He also took less money on his extension than he might have gotten on the open market because he wanted to stay in Los Angeles.
Doughty may still feel like the obvious successor because of what he’s meant to the franchise. But if the Kings are looking ahead, Kempe’s contract, his continuity with the organization, and the leadership role he already holds make him look like the clearest long-term option.
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