The Los Angeles Kings might have avoided the Edmonton Oilers in the first round for the first time in five years, but they ended up doing worse. Now, their No. 1 center and captain has retired.
It's the end of a short road for the Los Angeles Kings in the 2026 playoffs.
The Colorado Avalanche beat the Kings 5-1 on Sunday to complete the sweep in the first round.
This is the fifth-straight year the Kings lost in the first round, with the previous four campaigns coming against the Edmonton Oilers.
The most impressive part about Los Angeles in this first round was it limited Colorado's superstars for a chunk of the series. However, the Kings aren't near the level of the Avalanche, and any strong player on their end ultimately did not matter.
L.A's exit completed the Anze Kopitar Era. There are serious questions about what the next era will bring, especially in the short term.
What Went Wrong For The Kings?
In terms of their performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, it was tough to get the best of the Presidents' Trophy winners.
Even if they neutralized Colorado's top players to a degree, the Kings couldn't outscore them.
The Kings scored just once in three of their four games, with just two goals scored in the other. Only two of their five goals were at 5-on-5, and one of them came from defensive defenseman Joel Edmundson, not their top forwards.
In the regular season, there was another tier of issues that nearly kept them out of the playoff picture. Eventually, they got in, thanks to how weak the Pacific Division has been this year.
At any rate, the Kings weren't great offensively all season long. It's almost mind-boggling that they made the playoffs while scoring the fourth-fewest goals in the regular season, even when you consider them conceding the eighth-fewest goals.
Also, any Kings fan – or any hockey fan – will tell you that going to overtime was a theme for this team. And more specifically, not getting the job done past regulation was a regular occurrence.
Los Angeles set an NHL record for the most overtime games in one season, with 33.
Of all those outings that went to overtime and shootouts, the Kings lost 20 of them, leaving the wonder of where they would stand if they recorded a few more wins in the extra frame.
What's Next For The Kings?
This will be a crucial off-season for Los Angeles.
For one, the Kings must decide what to do with interim coach D.J. Smith, who became bench boss after the team fired Jim Hiller in March.
Also, Kings GM Ken Holland will have to decide on the direction he'd like to take his team.
The acquisition of Artemi Panarin was a sign that Holland bets on the club to be a playoff contender. But with five straight first-round exits and average campaigns, should the team take a step back and focus on developing young cornerstones, such as Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke?
It's a real question that Holland may be asking himself, especially after an unthreatening series against the Avs.
Not to mention, captain and top-line center Kopitar retired after the Kings' playoff campaign concluded on Sunday. So now, they are without not only another key veteran and leader, but arguably their No. 1 center.
Aside from questions regarding the NHL roster, the Kings have a handful of draft picks they'll want to hit on.
They have their first-round pick in the 2026 draft, as well as two second-round picks, two sixth-rounders and a pick in each of the remaining rounds.
In the 2026-27 campaign, the Kings could range between being another playoff team or dropping as low as a lottery team. It all depends on the action of this off-season in the front office, the coaching staff and roster decisions.
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