Overview

• The 38-year-old made the announcement at a training camp news conference in El Segundo with his wife and children beside him, saying his mind is made up.
• Kopitar will play the final year of the two-year, $14 million extension he signed in July 2023 before retiring.
• A two-time Stanley Cup champion and longtime captain, he has won two Selke Trophies, three Lady Byng Trophies and the 2022 Mark Messier Leadership Award.
• He is the Kings’ all-time leader in games played (1,454) and assists (838) and enters the season 29 points shy of Marcel Dionne’s franchise points record (1,307).
• His declaration came hours after Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw revealed his own end-of-season retirement plan, a timing Kopitar joked would help him fly under the radar.