In their recent history, the Los Angeles Kings have not been built on star power. Outside of Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty and Jonathan Quick, they've had very good but not truly elite players in their core.
Adrian Kempe has changed that this season.
Kempe broke out two seasons ago, scoring 35 goals and 54 points. However, a lot of those were empty net goals and some people pointed to his consistency issues as reasons he wouldn't repeat his 30-goal season.
Instead, he surpassed that total with 41 goals last season. Still primarily a goal scorer, without a complete offensive game, Kempe was a star scorer without being a true player.
At 27 years old, he's managed to find yet another level, becoming that genuine star player this season.
Currently on pace for 29 goals and 76 points in 77 games, which could go up significantly given the Kings' weak schedule to finish the season, he's on pace to be a 30-goal, near-point-per-game player this season.
A true offensive star. Yes, the Kings have another player who can put up similar offensive totals in Kevin Fiala. But Kempe has a few elements Fiala does not.
He's one of the Kings' most physical players and a fantastic penalty killer.
According to Evolving-Hockey's data, he's the Kings' best penalty-killing forward and is the 21st-best penalty-killer in the league.
Amongst the 20 players above him in Evolving-Hockey's data, no one has more points than Kempe.
Of course, Phil Danault is probably the Kings' best penalty-killer given his ability to win faceoffs, but it is an indicator of Kempe's complete game.
To use another metric, only seven players are on pace for as many, or more, points than Kempe and 110 hits this season.
Connor McDavid, Filip Forsberg, Matthew Tkachuk, Elias Pettersson, Vincent Trochek and J.T. Miller, elite company for Kempe.
He's arguably been the Kings' best forward this season and brings a combination of speed, physicality and point production no one else does on this team. A combination few players in the league can bring to the table.
Looking back in recent Kings history, there really isn't a player who compares to Kempe.
There's a comparison to Anze Kopitar's former right-wing, Dustin Brown. Both have that element of physicality, Brown more so, but Kempe is a far superior offensive threat.
Marion Gaborik when healthy was an offensive powerhouse with the size and speed to match Kempe, but was nowhere near as physical.
Going back to find other 30-goal, point-per-game players for the Kings is difficult, Ziggy Palffy and Michel Cammalari are the only two players to do it since 200.
Two players who were nowhere near as physical, or as sound defensively as Kempe.
At this point, it isn't a stretch to call Kempe the best non-Kopitar forward the Kings have had in the 21st century. He is certainly in that conversation if he doesn't hold that title alone.
His goal against Quinn Hughes on Saturday sums him up as a player. Yes, Hughes was gassed at the end of a shift, but it doesn't change how impressive of a goal this was.
To torch Hughes, one of the league's best skaters, drop a shoulder and take him to the net, and then also finish, is absurd.
Few players see such drastic improvements after 25, but Kempe has thrust himself into the superstar conversation.
There's still a noticeable gap between him and the upper echelon of wingers in the league, your Nikita Kucherov and Mikko Rantanen's of the world, but he's firmly in the next tier.
He might even be climbing to the top of that tier too.
A unique player who's become a vital part of this team's core, Kempe is a game-breaker for an organization that has lacked game-breakers in its recent history.