Adrian Kempe

After never scoring more than 16 goals in any single year, Kempe potted 35 a season ago, making him just one of 29 NHL players to reach the plateau. His 54 points (including 16 with the man advantage) and 111 hits were also high-water marks. Kempe's 247 shots on goal were a whopping 99 more than his previous career high. The Kings were so impressed with Kempe's performance that they signed him to a new four-year, $22 million extension in early July. Kempe will play this entire season at age 26 and should be able to crack the 30-goal mark once again if he sees somewhere near the vicinity of the 2:57 of power-play time per game he has received each of the past two years.

The double-edged sword known as versatility is the calling card of Kempe, who bounced all around the Kings' lineup while collecting 29 points in 56 games last season. With the ability to play center or wing on a scoring or checking line, any adjustments from head coach Todd McLellan will likely involve Kempe getting shuffled around. Ideally, he'd land on a scoring line and stay there, but the Swede should still challenge for 35-40 points in a versatile role. He also had a career-high 14 points on the power play last year, which could bode well for his presence in a similar role going forward. Most importantly, it's a contract year for the 24-year-old, who will be looking for a significant raise over his current $2 million per season deal, which could offer the motivation for a sizable scoring surge.

Kempe's third full NHL season wasn't much different from his first two, as the 24-year-old showed flashes of his potential but mostly looked the part of a bottom-six depth forward. The fact that the 2014 first-round pick has yet to seize a bigger role despite abundant opportunities on a rebuilding roster is disappointing, but the Kings don't have any better options yet, so he should keep getting more chances to blossom. At the very least, Kempe's skating and smarts will earn him a regular shift, and perhaps ice time with an emerging talent like Gabriel Vilardi or Alex Turcotte will be the key to unlocking his own offensive ability.

The 29th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Kempe has yet to click in the NHL, but he's still only 22 years old and has plenty of potential. Kempe has good wheels, a plus hockey IQ and a willingness to throw his body around, but up until this point, his flashes of offensive skill have been few and far between in North America -- he can dazzle on one shift, then look like a third-line grinder the next. However, he should become more consistent with experience, and with the Kings just beginning a rebuild, Kempe could still emerge as a key foundation piece for the club's future. Given the lack of established scorers on the roster beyond Anze Kopitar, that future could come as soon as 2019-20.

After scoring 16 goals in his first full NHL season, the 21-year-old Swede is an intriguing sleeper choice for the 2018-19 season. Kempe's 37-point season in 2017-18 was usually the type that foreshadows a breakout campaign the next year, but with Los Angeles having plenty of proven scorers, including two who play his position, a true breakout season might have to wait one more year. Still, the center should be owned in all dynasty leagues and is worth taking a flier on in deeper leagues.

The 2014 first round selected received his first taste of the NHL with a 25-game stint to finish last season and registered two goals and six points while logging just 12:14 of ice time per game. Kempe is a north-south winger with excellent speed and the frame (6-foot-2, 202 pounds) to play a power-forward game. However, he's struggled to show consistent offensive upside at the AHL level (23 goals and 48 points through 104 career games), so even if he cracks the Kings this fall, expectations should remain in check.

Kempe is a baby -- he was just two days away from being eligible for next year’s draft before declaring this past June. Yet he has not only held his own, but succeeded against grown men while playing under the great Peter Forsberg for Modo in Sweden. His all-round package is sweet -- he has well above average skills in just every category, and those skills project well to the NHL level. He’s strong on the puck, plays a physical game and back-checks like a demon. And his shot is hard, hot and heavy -- it’ll rattle a few teeth if goalies can block it. His ceiling isn’t huge, but he does have a little Gabriel Landeskog in him. He could be a 55- or 60-point, second-line guy in the NHL.