Anze Kopitar stands one single point away from rewriting Los Angeles Kings history. After burying a goal in a gritty 3-2 win over the New York Islanders on March 13, the 38-year-old captain pushed his career total to 1,306 points — one shy of Marcel Dionne’s franchise record of 1,307 that has stood untouched since February 1981. The Kopitar Kings all-time scoring record chase reaches its crescendo Saturday night at Prudential Center against the New Jersey Devils, with 45 years of history riding on a single point.
What makes this moment land differently than a typical milestone is the weight behind it. Kopitar is not chasing a number on a spreadsheet. He is closing a 20-year, one-franchise career by overtaking a Hall of Famer’s mark in a season where every shift could be his last — and where his team is clinging to a playoff spot by its fingernails.
The Record That Stood for 45 Years — Marcel Dionne’s Kings Legacy
Before we talk about the man about to break it, the record itself deserves respect.
Marcel Dionne arrived in Los Angeles from Detroit in 1975, a 23-year-old offensive savant who immediately transformed the Kings into appointment viewing. Over 12 seasons and 921 games, Dionne racked up 550 goals and 757 assists for 1,307 points — a scoring rate of 1.42 points per game that remains staggering by any era’s standards.
He centered the legendary Triple Crown Line alongside Dave Taylor and Charlie Simmer, a unit that terrorized the NHL in the late 1970s and early 1980s. On January 7, 1981, Dionne became the fastest player in NHL history to 1,000 points, doing it in 740 games — 83 faster than Phil Esposito’s previous record. A month later, on February 7, he set the franchise scoring mark that would survive the Wayne Gretzky era, the Luc Robitaille era, and every Kings roster assembled since.
The Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Dionne in 1992. But for all his brilliance, one thing eluded him his entire career: a Stanley Cup. That distinction matters in the conversation that follows.
Kopitar’s 20-Year Journey to the Mountaintop
From Slovenian Prodigy to Franchise Icon
When the Kings drafted Anze Kopitar 11th overall in 2005, they were betting on a lanky teenager from Bled, Slovenia, a country with roughly the same population as Houston. Nobody projected a two-decade franchise cornerstone.
Kopitar proved the doubters wrong immediately — and then kept proving them wrong for 20 straight years. He became the first Slovenian-born star in NHL history, won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2012 and 2014 as the team’s top center, and collected two Selke Trophies as the league’s best defensive forward along with three Lady Byng Trophies for sportsmanship and skill.
The Cups are the separator. Dionne played on teams that never advanced past the second round. Robitaille bounced between Pittsburgh, Detroit, and New York before returning to LA. Gretzky won his four championships in Edmonton. Kopitar won his in Los Angeles — and never wore another sweater.
Kings broadcaster Jim Fox, who spent nine seasons playing in Los Angeles, put it bluntly: Kopitar ranks above every player who has ever suited up for the franchise, because unlike the others, he has been a King from beginning to end.
On March 5, 2026, Kopitar skated in his 1,500th regular-season game. He is one of just 16 players in NHL history to accumulate 1,300 points while playing for a single franchise. Among active players who lead their franchise in scoring, only Sidney Crosby (1,746 points with Pittsburgh) and Alex Ovechkin (1,674 with Washington) sit above him.
The Final Season Numbers
Kopitar announced his retirement on September 18, 2025, at the opening of training camp. His reason was personal — his wife and children had supported him for two decades, and with his kids approaching their teenage years, he wanted to be present at home.
The 2025-26 season has not been easy statistically. Kopitar missed 15 games due to injury — four in October and eleven from January 7-29 — and his production (8 goals, 20 assists, 28 points in approximately 50 games) reflects a 38-year-old body managing the grind. But the timing of his surge matters. Over his last six games, Kopitar has posted five points (2G, 3A), finding chemistry with a retooled top line at precisely the moment the Kings need him most.
His career line entering March 15: 448 goals, 858 assists, 1,306 points in 1,504 games. One point to tie Dionne. Two to stand alone.
Why the Panarin Trade Changes Everything for the Kings’ Playoff Push
The Kings did not acquire Artemi Panarin from the New York Rangers on February 4 because they thought it would be fun. They did it because Anze Kopitar is retiring, and the front office decided — correctly or not — that the franchise owed its greatest player one final, legitimate shot at a third Cup.
The cost was substantial: top prospect Liam Greentree plus conditional draft picks headed to New York, and Panarin signed a two-year extension worth $11 million annually. This was not a rental. This was a franchise reshaping its timeline around the farewell season of its captain.
Panarin now skates alongside Kopitar and Adrian Kempe on the Kings’ top line, and the early returns have been promising. Kempe has been electric lately — five goals and four assists in his last six games — and the addition of Panarin’s playmaking gives Kopitar a trigger man he has not had since the Jeff Carter days.
The deadline did not stop there. The Kings also landed center Scott Laughton from Toronto to anchor the third line and forward Andrei Kuzmenko from Philadelphia, while shipping out Corey Perry and Warren Foegele. Every move pointed in one direction: win now.
But the standings remain unforgiving. Los Angeles currently sits in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 69 points through 65 games. They are one point ahead of San Jose and two up on Seattle and Nashville. Stathletes’ playoff model gives the Kings just an 8.4 percent probability of qualifying, though their remaining schedule — 19 games with only seven against current playoff teams — offers a path.
The Kopitar record is inevitable. The playoffs are not. That tension is what makes the final 17 games of this season must-watch hockey.
Kopitar Kings All-Time Scoring Record — By the Numbers
The statistical comparison between Kopitar and Dionne tells a story of two radically different players who dominated their franchise in radically different ways.
| Stat | Kopitar | Dionne | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 1,306 | 1,307 | Dionne (+1) |
| Goals | 448 | 550 | Dionne |
| Assists | 858 | 757 | Kopitar |
| Games | 1,504 | 921 | Dionne |
| Cups | 2 | 0 | Kopitar |
| Selke | 2 | 0 | Kopitar |
Dionne was a pure scorer who produced at a rate Kopitar never approached — 1.42 points per game versus approximately 0.87. In a vacuum, that gap is enormous. But the comparison is incomplete without context.
Kopitar played his entire career during the dead-puck and structured-system eras, where defensive schemes, neutral-zone traps, and goaltending equipment have cut league-wide scoring dramatically compared to the early 1980s. His value extended far beyond the scoresheet. Two Selke Trophies confirm what every coach, analyst, and opposing forward already knew: Kopitar was the most complete two-way center of his generation, a player who shut down the other team’s best line while driving his own offense.
Dionne was third all-time in goals when he retired. Kopitar anchored two championship teams. Both are legitimate franchise GOATs. The difference is that after Saturday, Kopitar will own the points record too.
It is also worth noting where Kopitar stands in the broader NHL landscape. He is the 39th player in league history to reach 1,300 career points. Among active franchise scoring leaders, only Crosby and Ovechkin sit above him. When the record falls — and the “when” has replaced the “if” — Kopitar joins a very short list of players who defined a franchise across two full decades.
The Farewell Tour and What Comes Next
Kopitar never wanted a farewell tour. That tracks for a player who spent 20 years deflecting credit and pointing at teammates during interviews. But the hockey world has not given him a choice.
After the Kings’ 3-2 win over the Islanders on March 13 — the game that moved Kopitar to within one point of the record — the entire Islanders roster stayed on the ice at UBS Arena and formed a handshake line for the Kings’ captain. It was unscripted and unrehearsed, the kind of gesture that only happens when respect is genuine.
Earlier in the season, Alex Ovechkin swapped game-worn jerseys with Kopitar after a Capitals-Kings matchup in November. Kopitar inscribed his sweater with a personal message acknowledging Ovechkin’s own historic chase.
Drew Doughty, Kopitar’s longtime defensive partner and fellow two-time Cup champion, said what everyone around the Kings organization already knows: Kopitar is the best King of all time, particularly among forwards, and breaking the scoring record only solidifies what the locker room has understood for years.
Beyond the current season, Kopitar’s legacy trajectory is clear. His No. 11 jersey retirement ceremony in Los Angeles is a certainty — the only question is the date. His Hockey Hall of Fame candidacy is strong: two Cups, two Selkes, three Lady Byngs, a franchise scoring record, 1,500+ games, and the distinction of being the most accomplished Slovenian-born athlete in hockey history.
The Kings will also need to figure out what comes next organizationally. With Kopitar gone, Quinton Byfield (the No. 2 overall pick in 2020) inherits the 1C role full-time, and Panarin’s two-year extension gives the Kings a bridge between eras. Whether the trade deadline moves were worth the prospect capital depends entirely on what happens over the next six weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many points does Kopitar need to break the Kings all-time scoring record?
Kopitar needs just one point to tie Marcel Dionne’s franchise record of 1,307 and two points to break it outright. He currently sits at 1,306 career points (448 goals, 858 assists) and could reach the milestone as early as March 15, 2026, when the Kings visit the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.
Who held the Kings scoring record before Kopitar?
Marcel Dionne held the Los Angeles Kings all-time scoring record with 1,307 points, accumulated over 921 games between 1975 and 1987. Dionne set the mark on February 7, 1981, and it has stood for over 45 years — surviving the tenures of Wayne Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, and every other Kings star.
Is Anze Kopitar retiring after this season?
Yes. Kopitar announced on September 18, 2025, at the opening of Kings training camp, that the 2025-26 season would be his 20th and final year in the NHL. He cited personal reasons, specifically wanting to be more present for his children as they approach their teenage years after his wife and family supported his career for two decades.
Are the Los Angeles Kings making the playoffs in 2026?
The Kings currently hold the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 69 points through 65 games, but their margin is razor-thin — just one point ahead of San Jose and two ahead of Seattle and Nashville. Stathletes’ projections give Los Angeles an 8.4 percent playoff probability, though their remaining schedule features only seven games against current playoff teams.
Where does Kopitar rank among NHL all-time scorers?
Kopitar is the 39th player in NHL history to reach 1,300 career points and one of just 16 players to accomplish that milestone while playing for a single franchise. Among active NHL players who lead their franchise in all-time scoring, only Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh, 1,746 points) and Alex Ovechkin (Washington, 1,674 points) have accumulated more.
Saturday night in Newark, one assist, one goal, one deflection, one single point separates Anze Kopitar from the Kopitar Kings all-time scoring record and 45 years of franchise history. Whether it happens against the Devils or in the games that follow, the math is settled — the record will fall. The only drama left is the moment itself, and for a player who never chased the spotlight, the spotlight has found him anyway. Stay locked to nhltraderumorstalk.com for live updates, scores, and full coverage of Kopitar’s historic chase.
