LOS ANGELES — The puck drops Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena as the Los Angeles Kings open their 2025 campaign against the Colorado Avalanche.

After another first-round playoff exit, this retooled Kings squad hits the ice with one goal in mind — a deeper Stanley Cup run.

What You Need To Know

The LA Kings 2025 campaign begins Tuesday

This will be Kings captain Anže Kopitar’s last season

Kopitar is the longest-tenured player in franchise history

He has helped win two Stanley Cups, received six All-Star selections and is the franchise leader in assists

But for the Kings’ captain, Anže Kopitar, this season carries a different weight. It will be his last.

Kopitar, the longest-tenured player in franchise history, announced that this season will mark the end of his two-decade NHL career.

“After lots and lots of thinking,” Kopitar said, “I’ve decided that this year is going to be my last year playing in the NHL.”

For nearly 20 seasons, Kopitar has been the constant amid change — through championship highs and rebuilding years. He arrived from Slovenia as a teenager with a name few could pronounce and will leave as a name etched into Los Angeles hockey history.

Two Stanley Cups. Six All-Star selections. The franchise leader in assists.

“I guess it will be some sort of a farewell tour,” Kopitar added. “But I’d much rather have you guys now know where I stand and what’s going to happen at the end of the year versus having to answer the question every week, every month.”

Longtime Kings broadcaster Daryl Evans says Kopitar’s greatest legacy won’t be found on a stat sheet.

“Our Kings fans have been blessed to watch him grow and become the captain of the hockey club,” Evans said. “There would be nothing finer than to send him off into retirement with a Stanley Cup.”

It’s a storybook ending the 37-year-old captain still dares to chase.

“I cannot wait for October 7 to roll around,” Kopitar said. “The ultimate goal for me and the team is to be playing hockey in June — and hopefully come out of the season on top.”

As the Kings begin their quest for another championship, they’ll do so with their captain leading one final charge — a farewell tour for a player who redefined what it means to wear the crown.