A rough start for the Los Angeles Kings has only become more challenging with their captain and leader out of the lineup for possibly the remainder of October. Or beyond.
Anže Kopitar missed just his fifth game over the last eight-plus seasons a few days ago, but the Kings won’t have their center for an extended period, as they listed him “week-to-week” due to a foot injury suffered on the team’s most recent road trip.
The @LAKings have announced Anze Kopitar is listed as week-to-week with a foot injury.
— LA Kings PR (@LAKingsPR) October 17, 2025
It is a blow to the center and the Kings, who’ve started 1-3-1 and just suffered a 4-2 home loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. While Kings coach Jim Hiller called Kopitar a game-time decision Thursday, he did not play and has not skated since they returned to Los Angeles. Kopitar appeared to get hurt Monday when he was struck by Adrian Kempe’s pass during the second period of their 4-3 shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild.
In his 20th and final NHL season after announcing his retirement plans early in training camp, Kopitar was off to another productive start with four points (all assists) in his first four games while averaging nearly 19 minutes of ice time. The potential absence will put off Kopitar from tracking down Marcel Dionne’s franchise record of 1,307 points. He currently has 1,282.
The Kings have a big hole to fill because Kopitar centers the first line with Kempe and Andrei Kuzmenko as his wingers. It might be a nominal first line as the second grouping featured by Quinton Byfield and Kevin Fiala is arguably their most dangerous, but replacing Kopitar’s usually consistent 18 minutes a night won’t be easy.
Phillip Danault, who typically centers Warren Foegele and Trevor Moore, was initially tasked with filling Kopitar’s spot as Hiller kept Byfield and Fiala with Joel Armia against the Penguins. Alex Laferriere may get that opportunity now. Laferriere has started slowly with no points in his first five games and was dropped to the fourth line.
The Kings did spot Laferriere at center occasionally last season and played him there at times during the preseason. Instead of breaking up Byfield and Fiala, they’re intent on testing the third-year Laferriere in the middle. He was between Kuzmenko and Kempe for their practice on Friday ahead of Saturday night’s home game against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“I’m really comfortable with (Laferriere) at center, clearly,” Hiller said, according to LA Kings Insider. “I’ve seen him play low, encouraged that he can do the job in my mind, and I think he’s got enough reps now where he just feels like it’s not a big deal to transition either way.”
The Kings have not put Kopitar on injured reserve, and that may signal that his foot injury won’t be a long-term issue. They’re already without starting goalie Darcy Kuemper, who has a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day.
Anton Forsberg started in Kuemper’s place Thursday and allowed two seemingly stoppable goals by Evgeni Malkin and Connor Dewar as Pittsburgh rallied from a 2-0 deficit. Filip Hållander jammed a puck past his left skate for the tiebreaking goal — his first in the NHL — in the third period.
Now the Kings are down their most reliable player of the last two decades as they battle to find consistency in their game and avoid digging a deeper hole early in the season. Hiller will shuffle forwards around during games if he doesn’t like what he sees. But for now, he’s not eager to separate Byfield and Fiala or load up a new top line with them and Kempe.
Fiala leads Los Angeles with three goals, while Byfield and Kempe each pace the club with five points.
“I think for us, and I’ve said this earlier, it’s not a matter of first line, second line, third line, it’s the ice time on most nights,” Hiller said Friday. “At even strength at least, (it) is balanced pretty evenly between those three lines. So, you’ve got to make sure that you’re not trying to fix one thing and ruining another thing at the same time, and we really like Kevin and Q together.”
