Kings place F Anze Kopitar on IR, get back F Corey Perry

Field Level MediaField Level Media|published: Sat 10th January, 21:22 2026
NHL: Minnesota Wild at Los Angeles KingsJan 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) looks on during overtime against the Minnesota Wild at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Los Angeles Kings captain Anze Kopitar was placed on injured reserve Saturday after being listed as day-to-day following a lower-body injury in Monday's 4-2 home win against the Minnesota Wild.

The Kings also activated forward Corey Perry from non-roster designation ahead of the game Saturday night against the host Edmonton Oilers. The forward missed two games -- losses at home to San Jose on Wednesday and at Winnipeg on Friday -- while home to deal with an illness in his family.

A four-time All-Star, Perry has 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists) in 35 games this season. The 40-year-old signed a one-year, $2 million deal in the offseason with an additional $2 million in performance bonuses.

Kopitar, 38, also was out the last two games. He had missed four games in October with a lower-body injury after taking a puck to the ankle and foot area.


He has 21 points (six goals, 15 assists), a plus-12 rating, eight penalty minutes, 34 blocks and 19 hits in 37 games this season.

For his career, Kopitar has 1,299 points (446 goals, 853 assists), 356 penalty minutes, 1,029 blocks and 1,224 hits in 1,491 regular-season games since 2006-07, all with the Kings. He also has 27 goals and 62 assists in 103 playoff games, including the runs to the Stanley Cup championship in 2012 and 2014.

A five-time All-Star, Kopitar was awarded the NHL Lady Byng Memorial Trophy three times (2016, 2023, 2025) for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct with a high standard of playing ability.

Los Angeles also loaned forward Cole Guttman to Ontario, the team's American Hockey League affiliate, Saturday. Guttman, 26, has not appeared in an NHL game this season. He had eight goals and six assists in 41 games in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks.

--Field Level Media

home kings-place-f-anze-kopitar-on-ir-get-back-f-corey-perry