{"id":409573,"date":"2026-01-15T21:37:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T21:37:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/409573\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T21:37:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T21:37:55","slug":"could-a-trade-shake-up-this-la-kings-legends-final-nhl-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/409573\/","title":{"rendered":"Could a Trade Shake Up This LA Kings Legend\u2019s Final NHL Season?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Kings were expected to cruise into the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season in a relatively weak Pacific Division, beyond them, the Oilers and the Golden Knights.<\/p>\n

So far in 2025\u201326, that prediction has mostly held up\u2014the Pacific remains the NHL\u2019s weakest division\u2014but instead of rising to the top, the Kings have found themselves mired in the middle of the pack, raising questions about their approach leading up to the trade deadline.<\/p>\n

Los Angeles is just one point out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot, but the road hasn\u2019t been pretty. Even if they manage to sneak in, they would likely face a juggernaut like Colorado, Vegas, or Edmonton in the first round, which, as Darryl Sutter once infamously said, could be a waste of eight days<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a result, PuckEmpire<\/a> floated a fascinating idea on Instagram following Wednesday night\u2019s loss to the Golden Knights: could the Kings flip their captain, Anze Kopitar, to let him take one last run at a Stanley Cup in his final NHL season?<\/p>\n

The 38-year-old Kopitar has registered just 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 37 games on the campaign. He\u2019s, of course, a pending UFA in the final season of the two-year, $14 million extension he signed with the Kings in 2023, set to retire at season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

Anze Kopitar Is Very Unlikely to Leave LA<\/p>\n

As intriguing as it would be to see Kopitar join a contender in the coming weeks, the odds of that actually happening remain slim to none.<\/p>\n

\"AnzeAnze Kopitar Kings<\/p>\n

The Kings should and likely do still view themselves as the third-best team in the Pacific, and the two-point gap between them and the three-seed Kraken is obviously one they can close.<\/p>\n

Even if they fall out of the race or feel there\u2019s no path to contention this season, it\u2019s hard to imagine Kopitar\u2014a player who\u2019s been the face of the franchise for the past 20 years\u2014wanting to leave with retirement already in sight<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Would it be fascinating to see the future Hall of Famer chase a Stanley Cup elsewhere to finish his career? Absolutely. But like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang in Pittsburgh, Kopitar\u2014and his longtime partner Drew Doughty\u2014are destined to retire in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Next: Stuart Skinner Appears to Take Subtle Jabs at Oilers and Fans<\/a><\/p>\n

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