This past Thursday, on the first day of Kings training camp, team captain and legend Anže Kopitar announced that the 2025-26 season will be his 20th and final campaign in the NHL.
While still an effective top-six forward at 38 years old, general manager Ken Holland will need to think ahead and find ways to supplement — and potentially replace — Kopitar’s production.
LA selected Kopitar with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2006 entry draft, and he has served as captain since 2016. He sits in second place, just 29 points behind Marcel Dionne for the Kings’ all-time points record, and is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, a two-time Selke Trophy winner and a three-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner.
Not only has Kopitar been showered with accolades throughout his career, but he also led the team in assists last season and was second on the team in points with 67, behind only Adrian Kempe. That success has made Kopitar a fan favorite in Los Angeles and makes him very difficult to replace in the Kings’ forward ranks.
After numerous offseason additions, LA currently has a little over 1.8 million in cap space according to CapWages. Such little cap room makes free-agent signings unlikely; however, the Kings could tap into the trade market for reinforcements. Offseason rumors linked the Kings to top-six forwards on the open market, and additions made by Pacific Division rivals put pressure on LA’s front office.
Holland was reportedly in on top free-agent forward Mitch Marner, who totaled a career high in points last season with 102. However, the opportunity to sign him never arrived, as Marner was offered to the Vegas Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade.
With free agency gone and limited cap space available, the Kings could view the trade market as a viable option to improve their roster. Rumors have been swirling in recent weeks that Minnesota Wild star forward Kirill Kaprizov could be on the move, but the cost to bring him to Los Angeles would likely be too expensive for the Kings to fork out.
Instead, they could turn to teams actively selling off talent like the Pittsburgh Penguins, and their scoring forwards Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust. Both options would add depth to the Kings’ forward group, but might also lack the high-end talent to pack a significant punch.
Some bad news struck the Kings last week, as free-agent acquisition Corey Perry was significantly injured during a training skate. Signed as a depth piece for LA’s fourth line, Perry left practice last week in a wheelchair and will be sidelined for six to eight weeks. Whether or not the Kings trade for a replacement or rely on internal pieces to fill the void remains to be seen.
Another unknown is about when and how Holland will address LA’s pending free agents. A few players are set to become unrestricted free agents on July 1, 2026, with none more prolific than 2024-25 points leader Adrian Kempe. Having been the lifeblood of the Kings offense last season, there is pressure to get a deal done sooner rather than later. Fortunately for Kings fans, there is mutual interest in an extension and a multi-year contract could be expected soon, with an estimated average annual value of around $10 million per season.
Other pending free agents include forward Andrei Kuzmenko and defenseman Kyle Burroughs, both of whom will likely be given a trial run this season before the Kings front office decides to offer extensions.
Despite some bad news over the past 10 days, Kings fans do have reason to remain optimistic heading into the preseason. Their moods, however, will largely depend on how the team responds to the challenges like Kopitar’s retirement and Perry’s injury, before the season starts on Oct. 7.