A week after acquiring him from the Tampa Bay Lightning for future considerations, the Los Angeles Kings are attempting to pass netminder Pheonix Copley through waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman.
It’s the second time this month that the Kings are trying to send Copley through the waiver wire. Earlier in October, when it was clear that Copley wouldn’t make the team out of training camp, the Kings placed Copley on waivers when the Lightning ultimately claimed him.
Despite the multiple transactions, Copley has yet to play a game this year. Although starting netminder Darcy Kuemper briefly went down with an injury, Los Angeles opted to utilize Anton Forsberg in his stead, negating any reason to use Copley.
If he clears waivers and he’s subsequently reassigned, Copley will return to a familiar environment. He spent much of last season with the AHL’s Ontario Reign, recording a 24-17-1 record in 42 games with a .904 SV% and 2.49 GAA.
Fortunately, there aren’t a lot of hypothetical landing spots for Copley on the waiver wire. The Vegas Golden Knights could be a possibility, given that Adin Hill isn’t expected to travel with the team on their current road trip. Furthermore, the Ottawa Senators, who have gotten disastrous play between the pipes in the early games of the 2025-26 season, may be looking for anything to gain some stability in the crease.
The Lightning will pick him up again and the Kings will add a draft pick to the future considerations when they get him back again.