Kopitar and Los Angeles begin their last postseason march together in Game 1 against the Avalanche at Ball Arena in Denver on Sunday (3 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, FDSNSC, truTV, TNT, ALT, SNP, SNW, SNO, TVAS).
“We want to send ‘Kopi’ off with a playoff run, and we owe him that much, the organization owes him that much, so we’re happy we could do it,” forward Trevor Moore said after a 5-3 win at the Seattle Kraken on Monday clinched a postseason berth.
Kopitar has done it all in 20 seasons with the Kings. He has 1,316 points (452 goals, 864 points) in 1,521 games and became Los Angeles’ all-time scoring leader on March 14, when he passed Marcel Dionne (1,307 points; 550 goals, 757 assists in 921 games).
Kopitar is a two-time winner of the Selke Trophy (2017, 2018), voted as the NHL’s top defensive forward, a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy (2016, 2023, 2025), voted for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.
He’s also a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings in 2012 and 2014; Kopitar tied for the postseason scoring lead in 2012 (20 points; eight goals, 12 assists) and led all playoff scorers in 2014 (26 points; five goals, 21 assists).
Those accolades, fueled by the quality and commitment of his game at both ends of the ice, have earned Kopitar immense respect around the sport.