Anze Kopitar is not necessarily in the twilight of his career, but he is certainly close. He isn't the type of player who loses confidence as he ages and still plays a remarkably efficient two-way game at a very high level. He's been incredibly durable in his 18-year career and an excellent producer, highlighted by his 1200th point against Minnesota.
His ice time peaked in 2019-20 when he averaged above 22 minutes a night. However, he has been averaging less and less ice time each year, which has been impacted by the signing Phillip Danault and, to an extent, Pierre Luc Dubois.
He's been the model of consistency for Los Angeles, coming in at 60-70 points a year, being a 20+ goal, 40+ assist player. He finished third in Hart Trophy voting in 2017-18, where he put up 92 points, propelling the team to a playoff berth in which they don't remotely whiff without his production that year.
Kopitar's return to earth the following year is a significant factor in their falling into the lottery territory.
He's back at it again, with 23 goals and 37 assists for 60 points in 69 games while being a +11. He's heated up during the most recent stretch of play, with five goals, two assists, and a +5 in the last four games.
Granted, the Kings played the lowly Blackhawks twice in that stretch where Kopitar put up five points. In the one game in that stretch against Dallas, a pure contender who presents a blatantly bad matchup situation for the Kings, Kopitar was held off the scoresheet and was even for the night.
It is good to see Kopitar producing like a number-one center; as I covered in the past, the Kings have a succession plan at the center, but it is intriguing. Quinton Byfield is the heir apparent and has broken out at wing. With Danault playing well, the lengthy contract of Dubois, the looming re-signing of Blake Lizotte, and Kopitar's extension, it is unclear when Byfield will move back to center to take the role of number one center.
As mentioned, Kopitar has been incredibly consistent, but his three-point night against Chicago was his second three-point performance of the year. He had eight such performances the year prior, gaining 3+ points in a match.
Is it a concern when your 1C consistently puts up near a point per game but doesn't have breakout performance games?
Kopitar is an enigma. He still produces excellent numbers for his age and takes the toughest matchups while playing all situations. However, he is no longer the game-breaker he might've been in the past. He is slowly moving into what should be considered a pure shutdown role while being able to chip in offensively.
Next year, he will be 37 years old, captaining a team that will undoubtedly have a unique and intriguing offseason based on what happens come playoff time.
Does he continue to get points and fall into the 70+ point total category? Can he be a producer in the playoffs against the gauntlet of powerful Western Conference foes? Will he become a pure shutdown player for the Kings?
The Kings won cups when Kopitar was in the top three best centers in the league category: This a first-ballot, future Hall of Famer. However, you need top positional players to raise Lord Stanley, and while Kopitar is starting to heat up at the right time, there is skepticism that they have a top positional player in the 36-year-old to carry them to the promised Land.