Anže Kopitar - Ageless Wonder

[Albatros]

But if you got him, you would be looking for a #1 goalie.

LA got both Kopitar and Quick in that draft, served them well.

 

[Coffey]

I understand your point but I'd rather have a no.1 center than a goalie, especially with how the game has evolved.

Nowadays for sure.
But back then... God I'd have killed for Price.
Cause a goalie stealing a game isn't something I've seen since Roloson.

 

[lindholmie]

So dope that ducks and kings each got a player that stayed with them all their career. Gonna suck when he retired

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

It is a meh that Doughty was the more talk of town-guy than Kopitar is/was.

Hahaha are you shitting me

Have you seen how this forum treats Doughty

Kopitar doesn't get talked about much and that's a shame

But the moment Doughty's name is mentioned there is a venn diagram of 3 groups of posters that show up to curse his entire family line

 

[Dueling Banjos]

Not following Kings all too much but did he have any star winger in all these years other than Gaborik and even him for a very short time

 

[kings11]

Not following Kings all too much but did he have any star winger in all these years other than Gaborik and even him for a very short time

No one near the caliber of a Hossa or Marchand … While Brown was a great captain and King, he was average at best away from Kopitar

 

[Dueling Banjos]

No one near the caliber of a Hossa or Marchand … While Brown was a great captain and King, he was average at best away from Kopitar

Yeah my point exactly, even more impressive, the numbers

 

[bland]

Not following Kings all too much but did he have any star winger in all these years other than Gaborik and even him for a very short time

No, because Kopitar has always gelled with two-way, predictable wingers who play in close proximity. He isn't really a "playmaker". There is zero deception to his game. Kopitar gets the bulk of his offense thru sheer attrition - holding and cycling the puck long enough to make the smart decision when a chance presents itself. He doesn't really look to create many quick chances, he plays the long game and if a opportunity isn't there he will live to score another day. That's why his points totals per season are relatively low - he chooses not to force anything in favor of staying in good defensive position. He wants the same out of his wingers.

He was famously quoted during the Cup years saying "when everyone is good, no one has to be great". Of course that is all well and good when your team is stacked, but unfortunately it has also been true in the opposite. When the Kings needed someone to be great, he was still the same ol' reliable 60-70 point Kopitar on teams that lacked an offensive focal point and needed more from its best player. That is the only criticism one can fairly make of an otherwise stellar player.

 

[rea]

I'm still sour the canucks didn't draft him lol. Great player, great person, great career

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Not following Kings all too much but did he have any star winger in all these years other than Gaborik and even him for a very short time

Brown-Kopitar-Williams was a sum >>> parts line for several years but that's about as good as it got

He spent a lot of his career rotating guys like Kyle Calder and Patrick O'Sullivan

Ryan Smyth was perfect with him too though, that was fun until he was terrified of the South Bay

 

[Bounces R Way]

Little outrageous he's leading his team in scoring for the 26th straight season.

 

[HFpapi]

Kopitar is an absolute stud, one of the most complete hockey players of all-time AFAIC. He's been under rated and under appreciated his entire career.

For a guy not known as an offensive superstar, the fact that he might end up in the same ballpark points-wise as guys like Jari Kurri and Luc Robitaille is absolutely mad and a testament to his consistency and longevity.

 

[Frolov 6'3]

Little outrageous he's leading his team in scoring for the 26th straight season.

I believe Jeff Carter once was the leading scorer.

 

[nabby12]

I believe Jeff Carter once was the leading scorer.

Not even close.

 

[CarlSneep]

No, he’s right; over 16 seasons (07/08-22/23), Anze lead the Kings in scoring every year except 15/16, when Carter led the team.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

And the crazy thing is even though he wasn't a totally prolific scorer vs. the field--he often led the team by 10-20 points despite having the hardest minutes and massive PK time on a low-offense team. So him putting up these numbers is just symbolic of what we always said he (and others, cough Doughty) could do when loosened up, but what they sacrificed for team success.

Make no mistake, this is not the same player he was in the last decade, when he'd start behind his own net and circle the oppositions. I don't think I've seen him below the faceoff dots this year, he's adapting, and it's very impressive.

 

[johnjm22]

He should have won the MVP in 2017-18.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Little outrageous he's leading his team in scoring for the 26th straight season.

Anze Kopitar in 2035 waiting for someone to take over the team scoring

 

[Greatzsky 99]

one thing that is pretty remarkable is that Kopitar only have one! season with PPG, is there anybody with over 1200p that have that?

 

[stephenball]

Honestly I could see him still being good past 40

 

[SettlementRichie10]

Kopitar is so damn good. Definition of a guy who "plays the game the right way". Young players should watch him and model their game after him, especially centers.


Two cups isn't a dynasty... They didn't even make playoffs the year following their second cup (and haven't won a playoff series since)... Kopitar is great, he doesn't need exaggerations to make his case.

Cup-WCF-Cup is not a dynasty but it is something pretty rare.

The list of teams who have won two Cups in three of fewer years is very short.

Also consider that either LA or Chicago threepeat in the 2010s if it wasn’t for beating each other in 2013 and 2014.