On Tuesday afternoon, Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe was given a $5000 fine for a slew-foot on Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid in Monday’s matchup at Rogers Place.
Los Angeles’ Adrian Kempe has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for slew-footing Edmonton’s Connor McDavid.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 14, 2025
The incident occurred around the midway mark of the third period of Monday’s game between the two teams. McDavid received a pass and brought the puck into the offensive zone to try and create some separation so he could make a play. He was the only Oiler in the zone and had to circle back to avoid going into a clog down the middle.
As he does so, Kempe closes in on him to try and prevent a pass to the open area. The camera barely catches Kempe swinging his foot out to knock McDavid down shortly after he completes the pass to a streaking Connor Brown. There was no penalty called on the play and the captain was able to complete the game.
Here's the Kempe slew-foot. I honestly can't believe the officials didn't catch this. pic.twitter.com/phQZigoOtI
— Kevin McCurdy (@McCurdy1987) January 14, 2025
There was a sizeable outcry from Oilers fans on social media befuddled that this infraction did not result in a penalty on the play. It appears to be a classic case of the officials not catching it at the time and the fine is the Department of Player Safety’s way of acknowledging the error. While it is a slap on the wrist in the grand scheme of things, it is certainly better than nothing coming from it.
This isn’t the first time the two players were both involved in a dangerous play that came at the expense of one of them. McDavid got a five-minute boarding major penalty and game misconduct for a hit on Kempe during a game between the two teams on December 5, 2021. Given that the Kings and Oilers have squared off in the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, this play certainly adds to the animosity that the teams have for one another.
Kempe is having a strong season for the Kings as he is second on the team in scoring behind Anze Kopitar with 39 points (20 goals and 19 assists) in 41 games played. With a goal in Monday’s contest, McDavid is a point away from a ninth straight season of at least 60 points or more with 59 (17 goals and 42 assists) in 40 games played.
Suffice it to say their next matchup on April 5th will be quite interesting, to say the least.
