Anze Kopitar has been a cornerstone of the Los Angeles Kings for close to two decades and put together another productive season but there was clear signs that he has lost a step in the twilight of his career.
For the fourth straight season, Anze Kopitar showed he is very durable as he would play at least 81 regular season games. However, the Kings started to pull back his minutes, and he finished with a career-low average ice time of 18:57.
Even with the lower ice time, he still finished second on the team in points with 67 and only six points behind Adrian Kempe. Kopitar started the season very strong as he had a hat trick in the season opener against the Buffalo Sabres and through the first 36 games had 12 goals and 27 assists. However, he had only nine goals and 21 assists through the final 45 regular season games.
Similar to the regular season, the Kings' captain started the playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers fast with seven points in the first three games of the series. However, had only two points in the final three games during a stretch that the Kings really needed to swing momentum back in their favor.
Grade for Los Angeles Kings Anze Kopitar's 2024-25 season: B+
The grade for Anze Kopitar was tough to put together because this wasn't his best season by any means but it was still an impressive performance for a 37-year-old in his 19th season in the NHL. He was still productive and would lead the team in game-winning goals at seven, his highest total since the 2015-16 season.
It remains to be seen how much time Anze Kopitar has left in the NHL or with the Los Angeles Kings. He is entering the final year of his contract this upcoming season and should be back. However, he is no longer a player who can carry an offense, and the Kings will need to either bring in players to take some of the workload off him or hope someone like Quinton Byfield continues to develop.