Kings re-acquire Pheonix Copley from Lightning for future considerations
The Los Angeles Kings have re-acquired goaltender Pheonix Copley from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for future considerations, the clubs announced Wednesday afternoon.
Copley, 33, appeared in just one NHL game with the Kings during the 2024-25 season, stopping 10 of 12 shots in a relief appearance against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Lightning claimed Copley off waivers from the Kings on October 2.
Now, with starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, the Kings needed another goalie to platoon with Anton Forsberg in the meantime. Copley is under contract through the end of the 2025-26 season at a $775,000 cap hit, which can easily be buried in the AHL once Kuemper returns.
The Kings had recalled goaltender Erik Portillo from the AHL’s Ontario Reign earlier on Wednesday; they returned him to Ontario in a corresponding move after acquiring Copley.
He's back!
Full release 📲 https://t.co/4SLzCSPgdl
In addition, G Erik Portillo has been loaned to Ontario. pic.twitter.com/yAHx03ba9b
An undrafted player, Copley spent his collegiate career at Michigan Tech University before making his professional debut with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays late in the 2013-14 season.
Copley joined the Washington Capitals organization in 2014 but never played a game for the club before being traded alongside Troy Brouwer and a third-round pick to the St. Louis Blues during the 2015 offseason in exchange for T.J. Oshie. He subsequently appeared in two games with the Blues over the following two seasons.
Near the 2017 trade deadline, the Blues sent Copley back to the Capitals as part of the Kevin Shattenkirk deal. This time, the North Pole, Alaska product made 29 NHL appearances over parts of six seasons in his second Capitals stint but spent most of his time with the AHL’s Hershey Bears.
The Kings signed Copley as an unrestricted free agent in 2022. He appeared in a career-high 37 games with the club in the 2022-23 season, going 24-6-3 with a .903 save percentage, but saw his usage gradually diminish over the following two years.
In 77 career NHL games over parts of seven seasons with the Blues, Capitals, and Kings, Copley has put together a 44-16-8 record to go along with three shutouts and an .898 save percentage.