Kings make Kopitar's legacy permanent as the franchise turns the page

The Los Angeles Kings announced on August 7 that Anze Kopitar's No. 11 will be retired and a statue will be unveiled in his honor, the organization's formal recognition of a career that produced two Stanley Cup championships, the franchise's all-time scoring record, and more than two decades as the team's defining player. No King will wear No. 11 again.

Kopitar retired on July 29 after finishing the 2026 season with 21 points in 40 games. The honors announced this week close the ceremonial chapter on his tenure and shift the franchise's attention fully to what comes next. Quinton Byfield, Adrian Kempe, and Brandt Clarke — locked in on a five-year extension — are now the faces of a roster that missed the playoffs for a second straight year and finished 36–47.

The gap left by Kopitar is real, and the offseason additions of veteran depth have not obscured it. The younger core will need to grow into the space he occupied, on the ice and in the room, for the Kings to get back to relevance in 2026–27.