The 2025-26 season marked the final NHL season of legendary Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar’s career.
Kopitar is a franchise legend who led the Kings to multiple Stanley Cup Championships in 2012 and 2014, three Lady Byng Awards, and multiple postseason appearances over nearly two decades with the organization.
Kopitar’s retirement marks the end of one of the most important eras in franchise history, with the longtime captain helping define the Kings’ identity for nearly two decades.
Anze Kopitar's performance for the Los Angeles Kings in the 2025-26 season
In the 2025-26 season, Kopitar registered a dozen goals, 26 assists, and 38 total points in 67 games played. He also played four games in the postseason for the Kings in the first round vs. the Colorado Avalanche. Kopitar was named a finalist for the Lady Byng Award for this season.
Kopitar previously won the Lady Byng Award in 2023 and captured the trophy three times during his NHL career (2010, 2011, and 2023).
He missed a good portion of this past regular season due to a lower-body injury.
Kopitar remained a steady force on both sides of the ice for the Kings in this past regular season. He won over 56 percent of his faceoffs while continuing to provide strong defensive value and veteran stability throughout the lineup. Even at 38 years old, Kopitar still handled difficult defensive assignments and heavy minutes for Los Angeles.
It can be hard to believe how disciplined and efficient Kopitar still was, even at 38 years old, this past regular season. He only registered 10 penalty minutes and under 60 giveaways with the puck.
Even late in his career, Kopitar remained one of the Kings’ most important players because of everything he provided beyond pure offensive production.
Kopitar may no longer have been the offensive force he once was, but he remained the stabilizing two-way presence the Kings continued relying on throughout his final NHL season.
Beyond his on-ice play, Kopitar also remained an important veteran leader for a Kings team beginning to transition toward a younger core.
The biggest challenge facing the Kings moving forward may not simply be replacing Kopitar’s offensive production, but replicating the leadership, defensive reliability, and stability he provided for nearly two decades.
In the final season of his NHL career, Kopitar remained one of the Kings’ most trusted and important players while helping bridge the organization into its next era for the franchise.
2025-26 Season Grade: B
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