Who Must Step Up for the Los Angeles Kings in Post-Kopitar Era?

Last season, the Los Angeles Kings once again struck out in the first round in a swift four-game sweep at the hands the Colorado Avalanche. However, that was not the biggest storyline for the team this offseason. 

Instead, it was the retirement of the team’s captain and two-time Stanley Cup champion center, Anze Kopitar, who had been with the team for his entire 20-year career.

This signifies a new era of Kings hockey as Drew Doughty, the last remaining player from the 2014 Stanley Cup-winning team, enters his 19th season at age 36 as the new captain. 

Peter Laviolette was also named the team’s new head coach. HehasreachedtheStanleyCupFinalthreetimes.HismostrecentappearancecamewithNashvillein2017.HewonthechampionshipwithCarolinain2006.

The Kings added Mats Zuccarello and Erik Haula, while bringing back Corey Perry and Scott Laughton on the offensive side of the puck to attempt to fill in the holes left by the departure of Kopitar. 

Perhaps the largest move made by the front office came before the offseason, with the trade for Artemi Panarin. Just three seasons ago, Panarin had a career-high 120 points. Since then, his production has begun to decline. However, with the Kings last season after the trade, he accrued 27 points in 26 games.

Byfield Faces a Bigger Role with Kings

Undoubtedly, the biggest change that Kopitar’s departure has created is the change in who will be the first-line center for the Kings. 

Quinton Byfield will take over as the Kings’ first-line center. The second-overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft is entering his sixth season. He has shown flashes of brilliance but has yet to record more than 55 points in a single season.

Byfield is not in a contract year. His $6.25 million average annual value deal runs through the 2028-29 season. Still,thisseasonwillbeamajortest.Byfieldmustshowhecanmeetexpectationsandembraceabiggerroleintheoffense.

Byfield’s average ice time increased by two minutes from the 2024-25 season to 2025-26. The Kings are only five games into the current campaign, but his ice time has already risen by nearly another minute per game. This increase suggests he is taking on a larger role within the team.

PlayingalongsidePanarinandKempegivesByfieldachancetoestablishhimselfasalegitimatetop-linecenter.Hecanalsobenefitfromplayingwithtwoprovenoffensiveplayers.

Los Angeles Looks Ahead  

The Kings have made it clear that they still intend to compete. The additions of veteran forwards and the hiring of Laviolette suggest that this is not the beginning of a rebuild. Instead, Los Angeles is attempting to transition from the team that was built around Kopitar into one led by a younger core.

That transition will not happen overnight. The Kings still have questions to answer, particularly after another early playoff exit and the departure of the player who defined the franchise for the past two decades. But the organization also has an opportunity to establish a new identity.

Ultimately,theKings’post-Kopitarerawilldependonthenextgeneration.Theteammustsuccessfullytransitionitsleadershipandoffensiveidentity. Doughty will provide the veteran presence, while Panarin and Kempe remain important pieces of the offense.

But no player has a greater opportunity to change the direction of the franchise than Byfield.

After several seasons of showing flashes, Byfield now has the responsibility and opportunity that come with being the team’s first-line center. Increased ice time and playing alongside Panarin and Kempe should give him every chance to take the next step.

The Kings do not need Byfield to become Kopitar. They need him to become the best version of himself. If he can do that, the end of the Kopitar era doesn’t necessarily signal the end of the Kings’ window to compete. Instead, it could mark the beginning of the next chapter in Los Angeles.

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