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NHL Notebook: Anže Kopitar retires
? Gary A. Vasquez - USA Today

NHL Notebook: Anže Kopitar retires

Originally posted on Flamesnation  |  By Ryley Delaney  |  Last updated Apr 27, 2026 8:30 PM ET
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One of the best two-way centres of last generation has hung up his skates.

Before the start of the 2025-26 season, Los Angeles Kings’ captain Anže Kopitar announced that he’d retire at the end of the season. The Kings’ 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday meant that their season is over, falling four to the Presidents’ Trophy winners. Unfortunately, that means Kopitar’s career is also over.

Kopitar is one of just three Slovenian-born players to have made the National Hockey League. The Kings drafted him 11th overall in the 2005 draft and he made an immediate impact in his rookie season in 2006-07. Over 72 games, he scored 20 goals and 61 points.

That set the tone for the rest of his career, reaching the 30-goal plateau on three separate occasions, as well as the 60-point plateau 16 times in his career. His career-best season came in 2017-18, scoring 35 goals and 92 points in 82 games. Overall, Kopitar finished with 452 goals and 1,316 points in 1,521 games played.

As good as he was offensively, Kopitar was regarded as one of the best two-way players of the 2010s. He is a two-time Selke Trophy winner, winning it in 2014-15 and 2017-18. On top of all that, Kopitar led the kings to their first two Stanley Cups in franchise history.

In the 2012 post-season, Kopitar scored eight goals and 20 points in 20 games, the first time an eighth-seeded team went on to win the Cup. They had another deep run in 2013, before winning it for the second time in 2014. That post-season features one of the best series in recent memories, a Western Conference Final showdown with the Chicago Blackhawks. Over the 26 games Kopitar played that post-season, he scored five goals and 26 points.

What a career it was from the Jesenice, Slovenia product.

Nashville Predators sign Vitali Pinchuk to one-year ELC

The Vitali Pinchuk sweep stakes have come to an end, as the Nashville Predators announced on Monday morning that they’ve signed the Belarussian centre to a one-year, entry-level contract.

Born in Zholbin, Belarus, Pinchuk was seen as one of the better free agents available from overseas or in college. His lone experience in North America came with the 2019-20 Kingston Frontenacs, where he scored 13 goals and 34 points in 54 games.

Pinchuk returned to Europe following the season, appearing in 17 games with the Kontinental Hockey League’s Minsk Dynamo in 2020-21 and 2021-22. The 24-year-old received regular playing time the next two seasons, before breaking out in 2024-25 when he scored 25 goals and 43 points.

He was even better in 2025-26, scoring 31 goals and 66 points in 65 games, with his goal total finishing third in the KHL. In eight post-season game, Pinchuk scored twice and added five helpers, down from his five goals and 11 points in 11 games last post-season.

Former Flame Nikita Zadorov fined

Late in the Boston Bruins’ Game 4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres, former Calgary Flames defenceman Nikita Zadorov cross-checked Sabres’ captain Rasmus Dahlin and was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

However, the Department of Player Safety announced on Monday morning that Zadorov had been fined just $5,000 for the infraction. There was some significant force on the cross-check, with Zadorov’s stick snapping in half, but suspensions are harder to come by in the post-season.

The Bruins are in tough against the Sabres, as they’re down 3-1 in the series with it returning to Buffalo on Tuesday. If the Sabres get that final win, it’ll be the first time they’ve won a playoff round since 2007.

Other notes…

  • The Anaheim Ducks jumped out to a 3-1 series lead over the Edmonton Oilers thanks to an overtime victory on Sunday. It didn’t come without controversy, as the officials ruled it a good goal on the ice without actually seeing it cross the line. That wouldn’t be a problem had the replay been conclusive, but it was not. However, the right call was made.
  • Dallas Stars’ defenceman Nils Lundkvist will miss Tuesday’s Game 5 after taking a skate to the face in the Minnesota Wild’s overtime victory on Saturday. Scary incident, but he’s expected back at some point in the series.

This article first appeared on Flamesnation and was syndicated with permission.

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