Kings Need to Look Beyond Kopitar for Offence

As captain Anže Kopitar enters his 19th season with the Kings, it is time for the team to look beyond him for offence.

Kopitar Continues to Shine Offensively

There is no denying that Kopitar has been one of, if not the most, impactful players in Kings history. In 18 seasons, he has led the team in scoring 15 times. Last season, he missed the lead for the first time since the 2016-2017 season. At 37 years old, he is still consistently putting up 70 point seasons, playing top line minutes, and keeping himself firmly in the Selke trophy–the award for the best defensive forward–conversation.

Kopitar may have several offensively productive seasons left in him, but the Kings must understand he will not be around forever. The team has grown far too dependent on their franchise centre for offence these past several seasons. It is time for the team to start thinking about what a transition into the post Kopitar era, even if it is still several seasons away, will look like.

Kopitar’s New Contract

During the 2023 off-season, Kopitar signed a two year, $14 million contract extension that begins this season. The $7 million Average Annual Value (AAV) is a $3 million discount from his last contract from 2016. This contract was both a team and player friendly move. The cap-strapped Kings locked up their captain at a slight discount in exchange for a full no trade clause in a no fuss deal signed an entire year before Kopitar would have otherwise entered free agency.

This contract will see Kopitar through his 20th NHL season which could very well be his last. The future Hall of Famer has enjoyed a stored career including two Stanley Cups, two Selke trophies, and reaching the 1,000 point plateau. The one major thing that is left for him to do is win a Stanley Cup as the team’s captain. He has made it clear that this is his goal.

“I want to win another Stanley Cup. That’s the one and only goal in my mind.”

– Anže Kopitar August 15, 2019

These next two seasons are probably his realistic window to complete this goal. The Kings have made the playoffs each of the last three seasons, but have come up short against the Edmonton Oilers in the first round all three years. Retaining Kopitar shows that the team is in “compete now” mode as it looks to take the all-important next step.

The Kings have curated a careful combination of young and established talent that is bookended by the few remaining pieces from the team’s cup era: Kopitar, Drew Doughty, and Trevor Lewis. On paper, this is a winning strategy, but it is not sustainable long term. Should Kopitar decide to re-sign with the Kings for the 2026-2027 season, he will be 39 years old. Although he had yet to show many signs of slowing down offensively, there is no telling where he will be physically in two years.

Quinton Byfield as Kopitar’s Successor

The Kings arguably took their first step looking beyond Kopitar back in 2020 by drafting Quinton Byfield with their second overall pick. Since then, Byfield has been described as a potential “Kopitar 2.0”. Like Kopitar, Byfield is big, has a high hockey IQ, and a knack for offense. Unlike Kopitar, Byfield has the speed that has become common place in the last decade.

Byfield–a natural centre–had a breakout 2023-2024 season playing wing on Kopitar’s line. This allowed him to soak up the time-tested style of his predecessor. This season, the team wants to see Byfield prove himself without Kopitar, playing centre on the third line with Kevin Fiala and Warren Foegele on the wings.

Looking at the Kings Offence Beyond Kopitar

Seeing what Byfield can do on his own is great, but the Kings are still depending on Kopitar in nearly all offensive situations. From a day-to-day standpoint, this makes perfect sense. Kopitar is still producing like a top line center. He opened this season with a natural hat trick to propel the Kings past the Buffalo Sabres 3-1.

Looking further into the future, however, the Kings need to start seriously preparing other players to take on a larger offensive load. The beginning of the season–before the playoff push–is a perfect time to experiment. Slightly reducing Kopitar’s ice time now will allow him to be more rested down the stretch and for the playoffs when every game’s importance is magnified. Giving other players more offensive opportunities will allow the team to evaluate what combination of players could best fill a potential Kopitar void.

Doing these experiments is even beneficial to Kopitar. He is at the point in his career where preserving his  skill is a focal point. It is probably not physically ideal for a 37 year old to still be eating up 20 minutes of ice time a night. Shaving off even two or three minuets now could make a huge difference in his longevity. This decision by no means needs to be permanent: if the experiment fails and the team cannot produce while Kopitar takes on a reduced load, they can always re-up his ice time.

The Kings must realize that one thing is certain: father time leaves no man behind, not even franchise centres. If the team is serious about prolonging Anže Kopitar’s career and preparing for a future without him, it is time to look beyond Kopitar for offence by allowing other players to take on a little more responsibility.