Los Angeles Kings captain Anže Kopitar is sidelined week-to-week with a foot injury. The team announced the injury on Friday, revealing that it occurred during Monday night's game against the Minnesota Wild when Kopitar was struck by a deflected puck in the Kings' 4-3 loss.

Kopitar, who had previously announced that this would be his final season in the NHL, did not participate in practice this week and was officially ruled out of Thursday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He has recorded four assists in four games this season.

The loss of Kopitar is a significant blow to the Kings, who have struggled to a 1-3-1 start. The 38-year-old center has been a key player for the team, averaging 18:45 per game and winning 63.6% of his faceoffs. The Kings allow just 1.1 goals against per 60 minutes with Kopitar on the ice at even strength, which is the third-best mark among team forwards.

In his career, all with the Kings, Kopitar has played in 1,458 games, recording 440 goals and 1,282 points. He has led the Kings to two Stanley Cup victories in 2012 and 2014. Individually, Kopitar has twice won the Selke Trophy as the NHL's top defensive forward and has been named an All-Star five times. He currently stands as the second-leading scorer in Kings' history.

Prior to this season, Kopitar has been remarkably durable throughout his NHL career. In the eight seasons leading up to 2025-26, he only missed four games. He has not missed more than a single game in a season since 2016-17. His current absence is expected to be the lengthiest of his career since his rookie season in 2006-07.

The Kings have also placed Corey Perry and Kyle Burroughs on injured reserve due to knee and upper-body injuries, respectively. Angus Booth is out with a lower-body injury and is expected to return on October 25, 2025.