Kings captain Anze Kopitar to retire after 2025-26

Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar announced Thursday that the 2025-26 NHL season will be his last.

Kopitar will retire after his 20th season in the NHL, all of them spent with the Kings. He's been the team's captain since 2016 and helped the franchise win two Stanley Cups (2012, 2014).

Kopitar, 38, revealed his decision at a press conference with his wife and two children by his side.

"Why announce now? I just felt that, in a simple way to put it, I want to get this out of the way now, to where I'm not a distraction for the team," Kopitar said. "For example, if we're in a fight coming down the stretch, the last thing I want to do is take any attention away from the team and put it on myself. I just felt that this is the best time."

Kopitar is entering the final year of a two-year, $14 million contract extension.

The first native of Slovenia to play in the NHL, Kopitar made a joke about his announcement coming on the same day that the Los Angeles Dodgers announced Clayton Kershaw would retire after the current season.

"It must have been something in the universe. It was perfect for me. Now, I can fly under the radar," Kopitar said.

Kopitar has been consistently available at the end of his career, missing only three games in the past five seasons. He has tallied 1,278 points (440 goals, 838 assists) in 1,454 career games.

He is a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct (2015-16, 2022-23, 2024-25) and a two-time recipient of the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the best defensive forward (2015-16, 2017-18).