The Washington Capitals want to keep Michal Kempny, and Kempny wants to stick around with the Capitals.

Tuesday morning, Czech NHL announcer Roman Jedlicka spoke to Kempny and the Stanley Cup champion defenseman said his “priority” was re-signing with Washington.

#caps D Michal Kempny: "I don't want to change things that work. So my prioroty for next season is to re-sign w/ Caps. We will see what happens." — Roman Jedlicka (@jedli) June 26, 2018

The Capitals landed Kempny at the trade deadline last season from the Chicago Blackhawks for a third-round pick. Kempny stabilized a wobbly defense, successfully pairing with John Carlson who signed an eight-year contract extension Sunday.

The Capitals have reportedly offered Kempny a multi-year deal, and the two sides are continuing to negotiate as Kempny’s representation can speak to other teams.

If Kempny does not re-sign soon, he will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Headline photo: Bruce Bennett