Kings’ Anze Kopitar returns after 11-game absence
The Los Angeles Kings are getting their captain back.
Kings’ editorial content manager Zach Dooley reported on social media that forward Anze Kopitar will return to the lineup Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Anze Kopitar is BACK 👑 Expecting the captain to return to the @LAKings lineup this afternoon in Philadelphia! Huge boost for today’s game.
Kopitar has been out of the lineup since Jan. 5, when he left the team’s game against the Minnesota Wild after playing less than five minutes.
Through 37 games, Kopitar has six goals and 15 assists for 21 points, averaging 18:32 of ice time. He’s missed a total of 15 games in 2025-26.
Kopitar, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, has 446 goals to go with his 853 assists for 1,299 career points. He is 28th on the NHL’s all-time assists list, and 39th on the NHL’s all-time points list. He is also second on the Kings’ all-time points list, behind Marcel Dionne, who has 1,307.
Through 20 NHL seasons, Kopitar has recorded at least 60 points in 16 of them. His best statistical season came in 2017-18, where he posted career highs in all offensive categories, with 35 goals and 57 assists for 92 points.
Kopitar has also played in 103 career NHL playoff games, where he’s recorded 27 goals and 62 assists for 89 points. He was a major factor in the Kings’ two Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014.
Kopitar has won the Selke Trophy twice, the Lady Byng three times and the Mark Messier Leadership Award.
Going into Saturday, Los Angeles is 22-17-13 with 57 points and a minus-10 goal differential. They are sixth in the Pacific Division and are two points back of a Wild-Card spot in the Western Conference.