Kings exit, beating San Jose Sharks, 4-1; Robyn Regehr thinks he’s done

Goodbye until September for the Kings and farewell to the NHL for defenseman Robyn Regehr.

It was a day of bittersweet partings for the Kings and their fans and for Regehr and his 15-season NHL career. The team’s regular-season finale was a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday afternoon at Staples Center. The Kings are out of the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

Regehr punched the clock in his true-professional fashion — registering three hits and finishing a plus-one — and said in the dressing room afterward that he has probably played his last professional game.

“I think it’s time to move on to the next chapter in life,” said Regehr, who will turn 35 on April 19.

He achieved his ultimate career goal by winning a Stanley Cup with the Kings last year. Regehr and Kings Coach Darryl Sutter came within a game of winning the Cup when they were together in Calgary in the Flames’ 2004 run.

Sutter and Regehr were reunited when the Kings acquired the defenseman in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres in 2013 and Regehr told Kings General Manager Dean Lombardi that he felt he could give them two hard years.

“There’s a lot that goes into a decision like that,” Regehr said. “I’ve been thinking about it for a little while. You’ve got to think about where your body is at and how it’s holding up or not holding up.

“There’s family decisions and all kinds of stuff that are involved in a decision like that. It’s a big decision. But I think we’ve decided.”

Said Kings Coach Darryl Sutter: “We lost a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup [Final] with Calgary, so to get him here and win one here is awesome. He’s not only a good player, he’s a great person. The best thing about when we got Robyn here was there’s a lot of young defensemen here. If you look at their seasons, they’re going to learn a lot from Robyn Regehr, all those young players.

“Robyn and Greener [Matt Greene] are the quarterbacks back there, in the locker room, and in terms of professionalism and every one of those other guys, they’re going to miss Robyn. They’re going to have to take a step forward now.”

Kings forward Justin Williams wryly noted that Regehr is only about a year and a half older than he.

“He didn’t fade after the sunset,” Williams said. “Now he’s going to be a dad for the rest of the time.”

Williams and Kings center Jarret Stoll are on expiring contracts and this might have been their last game with the Kings. Stoll said he looked at the two Cup championship banners during the national anthem and had “chills.” He was not sure about his future, saying: “I’d come back, hopefully any kind of role, to be honest. If we make the playoffs and we have a chance to win the Stanley Cup, I would play absolutely any role.”

Williams said his focus has been on the season rather than his future with the Kings’ organization and pending unrestricted free agency. Playing in a meaningless game was painful for Williams.

“We have not played a game like that in a long time,” he said. “Reality will set in that we won’t be playing in the playoffs and have a chance to defend the Cup … that’s what really stinks.”

Said Kings defenseman Drew Doughty: “It’s going to be difficult, but everyone in here wants everyone back. Everyone loves each other like brothers…. You never want to lose someone on your team. We hope to keep everyone together, but we know it will be difficult for Dean to do that.”

Sutter was unequivocal about his coaching future with the Kings, whether reporters would see him in September.

“Absolutely,” he said. “What do you mean see me? Am I invisible?”

lisa.dillman@latimes.com

Times staff writer Helene Elliott contributed to this report.