Kopitar eager to lead one last Stanley Cup run with Kings 

LOS ANGELES -- On April 2, with the Los Angeles Kings on the wrong side of the Stanley Cup Playoffs demarcation line and the end of his NHL career looming sooner than he would have liked, Anze Kopitar made a declaration.

“I don’t plan on just playing seven more games,” the Kings captain said following a 5-4 shootout loss to the Nashville Predators, one of the teams that was jockeying with Los Angeles for the last spot into the playoffs from the Western Conference.

Kopitar’s statement would prove prophetic, with the 38-year-old center’s pending retirement delayed until at least the end of a Western Conference First Round series against the Colorado Avalanche after the Kings closed the regular season on a 5-1-1 surge led by his presence and play.

Kopitar and Los Angeles begin their last postseason march together in Game 1 against the Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, FDSNSC, truTV, TNT, ALT, SNP, SNW, SNO, TVAS).

“We want to send ‘Kopi’ off with a playoff run, and we owe him that much, the organization owes him that much, so we’re happy we could do it,” forward Trevor Moore said after a 5-3 win at the Seattle Kraken on Monday clinched a postseason berth.

Kopitar has done it all in 20 seasons with the Kings. He has 1,316 points (452 goals, 864 points) in 1,521 games and became Los Angeles' all-time scoring leader on March 14, when he passed Marcel Dionne (1,307 points; 550 goals, 757 assists in 921 games). 

Kopitar is a two-time winner of the Selke Trophy (2017, 2018), voted as the NHL's top defensive forward, a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy (2016, 2023, 2025), voted for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.

He's also a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings in 2012 and 2014; Kopitar tied for the postseason scoring lead in 2012 (20 points; eight goals, 12 assists) and led all playoff scorers in 2014 (26 points; five goals, 21 assists).

Those accolades, fueled by the quality and commitment of his game at both ends of the ice, have earned Kopitar immense respect around the sport.

“I mean, Kopitar is sone of the best two-way players to ever play, and he hasn’t slowed down at all,” Florida Panthers forward Brad Marchand said. “Always in the right position, the way he reads the game is pretty incredible. But when he gets the puck, I mean, he can make you pay very quickly as well. So just a very tough player to compete against.”

One aspect of Kopitar’s game that receives frequent praise by his peers on the ice and coaches behind the bench is his unselfish nature, being comfortable passing up offense to help the team succeed.

“Plays the game the right way, you know,” Philadelphia Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said. “Obviously guys like him, even (Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney) Crosby, if they wanted to, they could probably get 20 more points a year by cheating. (Former Boston Bruins center Patrice) Bergeron. They’re the best players at center because they played the 200-foot game. Those Cup runs, he was just a monster.”

Panthers coach Paul Maurice said: “I saw him play when he was 15 years old at the World Championships, and he was playing with men, and positionally, he was perfect then, right? He and (Florida center) ‘Sasha’ (Aleksander Barkov) are so very much alike. They play the game the right way, and that’s why both teams have Stanley Cup champions. Their No. 1 center won’t cheat the game, and incredible defensive players, but really prolific as well.”

The Kings have leaned more on Kopitar’s offense since the break for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics with the addition of forward Artemi Panarin, acquired in a trade with the New York Rangers on Feb. 4 to play on a line with Kopitar and Adrian Kempe.

Kopitar has been getting more face-off draws in the offensive zone to give him, Kempe and Panarin additional chances to lift a team that ranked 30th in the League in scoring (2.54 goals per game) at the Olympic break.

Since the NHL reconvened on Feb. 25, the Kings are averaging 3.00 goals per game, which is tied for 19th in the League. In that span, Kopitar has 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 26 games, Kempe 27 points (16 goals, 11 assists) in 25 games and Panarin 27 (nine goals, 18 assists) in 26 games.

“Certainly, it doesn’t hurt to have Artemi on the line, that’s for sure,” Kopitar said. “But, yeah, it’s a combination of everything. Get away for a bit during the break, recharge, reset, refocus, whatever you want to call it.”

There has also been the recognition by Kopitar that there isn’t much time left.

“Me personally, I’ve tried to soak it all in, tried to enjoy every minute, every second of it,” he said. “It’s a fight right up until the end, so it’s been fun, and these are the games you want to be involved in.”

Kopitar is now guaranteed four more games. The Kings want to give their captain 16 more wins and a third chance to lift the Cup before his career comes to an end.

“It doesn’t feel real sometimes,” Moore said. “Like, I was a Kings fan growing up and stuff, and it doesn’t feel real to be able to see him go through all this. Feels like you’re a part of history in a way.”