The Los Angeles Kings (35-37-20) said goodbye to a major franchise face this season. Center Anze Kopitar, who leads all Kings in points with 1,316, announced he would retire at the end of the season, so the Kings wanted to give him a proper farewell tour.

Unfortunately, those dreams were nearly crushed with star winger Kevin Fiala suffering a gruesome injury in the Olympics. Fiala missed the rest of the season, and his future effectiveness might never be the same.

More: 3 burning questions St. Louis Blues must answer in 2026 offseason

However, the Kings acquired Rangers winger Artemi Panarin, and thanks to the top-heavy nature of the Western Conference, the Kings made the playoffs with just 90 points. The farewell tour ended when the Colorado Avalanche swept the Kings, and with Kopitar’s retirement, the silver and black have a big hole entering the 2026 offseason.

Who do the Kings tab as head coach?

During the middle of the season, the Kings were stagnant, below the playoff line. As a result, they decided to fire head coach Jim Hiller for D.J. Smith. Smith did admirably enough, but general manager Ken Holland didn’t taken the interim tag off of Smith, showing they could be looking for a new head coach.

More: How to live stream Ducks vs Golden Knights: NHL Playoffs, TV channel

The NHL coaching market, like always, is saturated with great options. The Kings could get former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy. He won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights, but a sour end of the 2025-26 season saw him replaced with John Tortorella.

They could also go with an assistant looking for a second shot as a head coach, like Jay Woodcroft of the Anaheim Ducks. He led the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup playoffs in back-to-back seasons, but just a few games into the 2023-24 season, he was replaced by Kris Knoblauch.

How do the Kings replace Anze Kopitar?

The Kings have a vacancy at center with Kopitar retiring. There’s no replacing his locker-room presence, and his defensive abilities will be sorely missed down the middle.

It’s expected that Quenton Byfield should take that role as 1C, but he had a disappointing season, with 49 points through 79 games. Do they bring in another defensive center in the trade market to support him or give him more development on the second line? They definitely could.

More: Canadiens vs Sabres live stream: How to watch NHL playoffs, TV channel, start time

Panarin’s former teammate, Vincent Trocheck, could be a good option to replace Kopitar. He doesn’t have the defensive chops, but he’s a great offensive playmaker, with 53 points in 67 games last season. He also already has chemistry with Panarin, so he could be a plug-and-play option in the lineup.

If not, they could go for a low-key addition for some depth. Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner and Predators center Erik Haula could do the job. It all depends on how much the Kings trust Byfield to take that 1C spot.

What does Brandt Clarke’s extension look like?

Speaking of players of the future, the Kings have been training defenseman Brandt Clarke to be the defensive staple once Drew Doughty hangs it up. He’s been progressing steadily into that role.

More: Oilers urged to avoid panic move involving $74M D-man after early playoff exit

He took another step this season, although not a sizeable one. He had 40 points in 82 games while maintaining a nice plus-11 plus/minus. Unfortunately, he becomes a restricted free agent this season, so the Kings will need to give him a raise.

Do they give him a bridge deal or bank on his long-term potential? AFP Analytics suggests the numbers could be quite different depending on which direction the Kings go. If they just bridge him until UFA status, he could get around $5 million, but if it’s a longer-term contract, he could earn as much as $8 million.