Kings Center Will Miss Time with Foot Injury

Some more bad news has emerged for the Los Angeles Kings, who have lost three games straight, as their captain is now week-to-week due to an injury.

Oct 11, 2025; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) watches the play during a game against the Winnipeg Jets in the first period at Canada Life Centre. Mandatory Credit: James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images / James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Kings have announced Anze Kopitar as week-to-week due to a foot injury.

Kopitar previously missed Wednesday's practice and was regarded as a game-time decision Thursday versus the Pittsburgh Penguins, but it seems the injury is worse than initially led on. Against the Penguins, he did not come out for warmups and also decided not to suit up. The center is now likely to miss LA's next three games — Saturday against Columbus, Tuesday in St. Louis and next Thursday in Texas at the Dallas Stars.

In the last eight seasons ahead of this 2025-26 campaign, Kopitar has only ever missed four games across the regular season and post-season. This now moves the Kings down to 12 healthy forwards.

The @LAKings have announced Anze Kopitar is listed as week-to-week with a foot injury.

— LA Kings PR (@LAKingsPR) October 17, 2025

This is also the captain's 20th and final NHL season before retirement, he announced prior to the start of the latest season.

In a whopping 1,458 career NHL games — all with the Kings — the Jesenice, Slovenia native has 440 goals and 1,282 points and led the Kings to a pair of Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014. The two-time Stanley Cup champion has twice won the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward. He is the second-leading scorer in Kings history and a five-time All-Star.

During the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Kopitar tied for the League lead with eight goals, 12 assists, 20 points, a plus-16 rating and two shorthanded goals to help Los Angeles win the title.

Oct 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) controls the puck during the second period against the Colorado Avalanche at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

His career-high year came in the 2009-10 season with 81 points.

Kopitar's injury was sustained in Monday’s shootout loss to the Wild, blocking a shot/deflected puck with his foot. The 38-year-old has brought hope to what’s otherwise been a dismal start to the season in Los Angeles. The club is 1-3-1, tied for the second-lowest points total in the league, and is now without its top center for the foreseeable future.

So far this year, Kopitar has tallied four assists in four games while averaging 18:45 per game

Los Angeles next hosts the currently undefeated (4-0) Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday after losing three straight to fall to 1-3-1 under new general manager Ken Holland.

Phillip Danault is projected to serve on the first line during Kopitar's absence. Danault was elevated into Kopitar's role between Andrewi Kuzmenko and Adrian Kempe against the Penguins in the eventual 4-2 loss for the Kings. Quinton Byfield, Alex Turcotte and Samuel Helenius are now down the middle towards the bottom of the depth chart.

The Kings are also without Corey Perry who will miss six to eight weeks following a Sept. knee surgery.

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