Los Angeles Kings captain and two-time Stanley Cup champion Anže Kopitar will retire after the 2025-26 season, he announced Thursday. Kopitar, who turned 38 in August, is heading into his 20th season with the Kings and his 10th as the team's captain. 11 pick of the 2005 draft, Kopitar made his NHL debut in 2006 and capped off his rookie season with a fourth-place finish in voting for the Calder Trophy. Two years later, Kopitar led the 2014 playoffs with 21 assists in 26 games to help the Kings lift a second Stanley Cup. Named Dustin Brown's successor as captain in 2016, Kopitar won the Selke Trophy in both 2016 and 2018 as the NHL's best defensive forward.