Anze Kopitar Hints at Retirement: "This Could Be My Last Season in the NHL"
Photo credit: The Los Angeles Times
Longtime Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar, who helped them win 2 Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014, has hinted that the upcoming year could be his last in the NHL.
It's been a long and fruitful career for Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar, but his career in the NHL appears to be winding down based on his latest comments ahead of the upcoming 2025-26 season.
Kopitar Reflects on 20 Seasons with the LA Kings
Kopitar, a 2x Stanley Cup winner with the Kings, recently explained that the upcoming year could be his last in the NHL and cited personal family reasons.
If I said I didn't think about it, I'd be lying for sure. I've been thinking about it, not everything is quite decided yet, but this could be my last season in the NHL, yes.
I mean, it's bittersweet. Hockey is something I've known all of my life, it's my 1st love and it's been a big part of my life and my family's life, but at the same time, my kids will be 11 and 9 years old. It's the time where they need their dad around a lot more than I would be playing hockey.
I mean, it's bittersweet. Hockey is something I've known all of my life, it's my 1st love and it's been a big part of my life and my family's life, but at the same time, my kids will be 11 and 9 years old. It's the time where they need their dad around a lot more than I would be playing hockey.
Kopitar was taken with the 11th overall pick by the Kings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, and has played his entire career with the team.
One of the best players in team history, he has 1,278 points (440G, 838A) in 1,454 career games.
What the Captain's Potential Farewell Means for Los Angeles
If Kopitar calls it a career after this year, it would leave a considerable hole in both the lineup and in the leadership core of the Kings.
It would also open up salary cap space for GM Ken Holland to utilize toward filling that hole in the roster.
Right now, Phillip Danault and Drew Doughty are assistant captains with the team.
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SEPTEMBRE 2 | 325 ANSWERS Anze Kopitar Hints at Retirement: "This Could Be My Last Season in the NHL" Should Anze Kopitar be inducted into the Hall of Fame? | ||
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