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Pheonix Copley

Kings Place Darcy Kuemper On Injured Reserve

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The Kings announced they’ve placed starting goalie Darcy Kuemper on injured reserve. Pheonix Copley was recalled from the AHL’s Ontario Reign to take his place on the active roster.

Kuemper left last night’s 4-1 loss to the Stars late in the first period after taking head contact from Dallas winger Mikko Rantanen, who was attempting to cut across the top of the crease between Kuemper and L.A. defender Brian Dumoulin. Dallas scored on the play, but the goal was waved off as the puck deflected in from behind the net off an already-injured Kuemper, who was lying facedown in the crease holding his head.

The 35-year-old Kuemper stopped all five shots he faced before leaving the contest, bumping his SV% up to .917 on the year. That’s a few points south of the .921 mark that earned him his first career Vezina Trophy nomination last year, but the 2022 Stanley Cup champion continues to perform at a top-10 level as he resurrects his career in Hollywood. Behind his 10-6-6 record in 23 starts, his 16.0 goals saved above expected are fifth in the NHL, according to MoneyPuck. That’s the highest mark among Pacific Division netminders.

His backup, free-agent pickup Anton Forsberg, has been less inspiring. Through his first 10 appearances as a King, he’s put together a 4-3-3 record with a .893 SV% and 2.82 GAA. That’s still good for 1.1 goals above expected, receiving a slightly more demanding workload than Kuemper has, but a significant dropoff – particularly if Kuemper is set to miss more than the two games he’s been ruled out of, thanks to the IR placement. He’ll be eligible for reinstatement on Dec. 22 against the Blue Jackets.

Copley, 33, hasn’t seen NHL ice yet this season. The Alaska native is in his fourth season in the Kings organization, outside of a 13-day stay on the Lightning roster in October after being lost on waivers before being traded back to L.A. for future considerations. He successfully passed through waivers a second time after being reacquired but has struggled in the AHL, logging a .885 SV% and 3.13 GAA in 13 appearances for Ontario.

Nonetheless, few third-string options have more NHL experience than Copley. The Michigan Tech alum made his NHL debut with the Blues back in 2015-16 and has since gone on to record a 44-16-8 record, .898 SV%, 2.84 GAA, and three shutouts in 77 games.

Kings Reassign Pheonix Copley To AHL

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Friday: As expected, Copley has been returned to the minors, per a team announcement.

Thursday: The Kings have recalled goaltender Pheonix Copley from AHL Ontario, John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor reports. He will back up Anton Forsberg on Thursday night in San Jose. It wasn’t a scheduled start for No. 1 option Darcy Kuemper, and he’ll now get the night off entirely by not having to make the jaunt up to the Bay Area. Defenseman Drew Doughty was moved to injured reserve to open a roster spot, the team announced.

Tonight is the first half of a back-to-back for the Kings. Kuemper will start tomorrow as they return home to face the Bruins. The Kings could either leave Copley on the roster for Friday’s game as well to give Forsberg the night off or have Forsberg dress as Kuemper’s backup as usual while returning Copley to the minors.

If Copley enters tonight’s game in relief of Forsberg, it will be his first NHL action in over a year. The Kings’ third-stringer was claimed off waivers by the Lightning during the preseason, but he was traded back to them in exchange for future considerations after not suiting up for the Bolts. He then cleared waivers once back with Los Angeles. That short stint on Tampa’s roster aside, Copley is now in his fourth consecutive season in the Kings organization. He had an extended stint as a tandem option in the 2022-23 season, making a career-high 35 starts, but has been relegated to a No. 3 role since then, with nine total appearances over the last three years.

The 33-year-old Alaska native has played seven games for Ontario since being reclaimed off waivers. He’s struggled to the tune of a 3.84 GAA and .870 SV% with a 2-5-0 record. Since he’s not being summoned to play, his performance isn’t of much concern. He’s been significantly outpaced by 25-year-old prospect Erik Portillo, who’s rebounding nicely after a rough AHL showing last year with a .915 SV%, 2.26 GAA, and 5-1-1 record in nine games. If either Kuemper or Forsberg were to miss any significant time, he would likely be the recall option over Copley at this stage.

As for Doughty, his move to IR is purely procedural. General manager Ken Holland said yesterday he’s set to miss another two to three weeks with his lower-body injury.

Kings Notes: Kempe, Doughty, Copley

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Kings forward Adrian Kempe recently took himself off next summer’s free agent market by signing an eight-year, $85MM contract extension.  Speaking with HockeySverige’s Martin Jansson, he acknowledged he likely left some money on the table considering how quickly the UFA class is drying up.  He also indicated that he lowered his salary request which appears to be what pushed this deal across the finish line.  Kempe is in his tenth NHL season, all spent with Los Angeles.  He’s off to a strong start with 19 points in his first 20 games, a point-per-game pace that would be the second-best of his career.  If that holds over the full season, the beginning of the deal could wind up being team-friendly, though there is some risk in the final few years given that he’ll be in his age-30 season when the contract begins.

More from Los Angeles:

  • While defenseman Drew Doughty’s injury timeline carries a week-to-week designation, it doesn’t appear that he’ll be out too long. GM Ken Holland told reporters including John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor (Twitter link) that the veteran, who has been placed on injured reserve, will miss two to three weeks.  The 35-year-old is dealing with a lower-body injury and had been off to a solid start to his season with eight points in 19 games while logging a team-high 22:33 per night, the only Kings player averaging more than 20 minutes per night.
  • With Doughty on IR, there is a roster spot available but that won’t be the case for long. Holland acknowledged that the Kings will be recalling goaltender Pheonix Copley from AHL Ontario for tomorrow’s game against San Jose.  He isn’t being brought up due to an injury though.  Instead, he’s being promoted to give Darcy Kuemper a full day of rest before he gets the nod on Friday.  Copley has had a tough start to his campaign with the Reign, posting a 3.84 GAA along with a .870 SV% in his first seven appearances.

Kings Place Pheonix Copley On Waivers

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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.

Kings Return Erik Portillo From Emergency Recall

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4:00 p.m.: Already in contention for the shortest emergency recall of the year, the Kings announced they’ve loaned Portillo back to AHL Ontario after reacquiring Copley from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

1:04 p.m.: The Kings announced they’ve recalled goalie Erik Portillo from AHL Ontario under emergency conditions. As he’s an emergency call-up, the Kings don’t have to open a roster spot for him – although they wouldn’t have had to anyway with an existing opening.

L.A.’s next game is tomorrow against the Penguins. Neither of their two rostered goalies, Anton Forsberg or Darcy Kuemper, is carrying an injury designation. That’s likely to change in the next 24 hours, even if it’s just downgrading one of them to questionable. Kuemper is going to be absent from today’s practice, according to the team’s Zach Dooley.

Kuemper has shouldered the bulk of starts thus far, as expected, getting three of their four games. While the veteran had a resurgent 2024-25 campaign that made him a Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time, he hasn’t kept up that momentum through the first several days of 2025-26. He’s yet to hit a .900 SV% in a single outing and has a .868 SV% and 3.35 GAA through his three starts, recording a 0-2-1 record. His -2.0 goals saved above expected are 50th out of 57 goalies to suit up so far this year, according to MoneyPuck. Forsberg, signed to a two-year, $4.5MM deal in free agency last summer to replace David Rittich as Kuemper’s backup, hasn’t been any better. He allowed five goals on 35 shots in his lone start last week against the Golden Knights, although it resulted in L.A.’s only win of the season – a 6-5 shootout victory.

Meanwhile, Portillo could now be in line to at least dress for a game. The 25-year-old Swede is the Kings’ unchallenged No. 3 for the moment, particularly after losing Pheonix Copley on waivers to the Lightning a couple of weeks ago. The former University of Michigan standout made his first NHL start early last season, only allowing one goal on 29 shots (.966 SV%) for a 2-1 win over the Ducks.

Unfortunately, his recent minor-league body of work hasn’t been nearly as impressive. After recording a .918 SV% in 39 appearances as a rookie for Ontario in 2023-24, he sputtered to the tune of a .889 mark with a 2.82 GAA and 15-5-4 record in 24 appearances last year. In two showings for the Reign in 2025-26, he has a 3.50 GAA, .854 SV%, and a 1-0-1 record.

He’ll be eligible to play in up to nine games before the Kings must return him to Ontario or convert his recall into a standard one. They’re hoping they aren’t faced with that choice and can return him hastily.

Los Angeles Kings Acquire Pheonix Copley

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The Los Angeles Kings have brought in a familiar face to serve as the team’s third-string netminder. After losing him on the waiver wire a few weeks ago, the Kings announced they’ve traded for netminder Pheonix Copley from the Tampa Bay Lightning for future considerations.

Further, despite recalling him on an emergency basis only a few hours ago, the Kings also shared that they’ve loaned Erik Portillo back to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. Assuming he can make it to Los Angeles before tomorrow night, Copley is expected to serve as the Kings’ backup tomorrow night against the Pittsburgh Penguins behind Anton Forsberg.

The reasoning behind the trade is simple. The team’s Editorial Content Manager, Zach Dooley, reported earlier that Darcy Kuemper and Anže Kopitar are dealing with lower-body injuries. While Kopitar has been deemed ’questionable’, Kuemper has already been ruled out for tomorrow night’s contest.

Copley’s status as a veteran and familiarity with the organization likely played a big part in the Kings reacquiring him from the Lightning. Over the last three years, starting as a backup and transitioning to a third-string role, Copley had managed a 28-7-5 record for Los Angeles with a .897 SV% and 2.75 GAA. While playing for AHL Ontario last season, the 33-year-old netminder appeared in 42 contests, earning a 24-17-1 record with a .904 SV% and 2.49 GAA.

Although he was rostered on the Lightning to start the year, he had yet to appear in a game for them. Andrei Vasilevskiy has gotten off to a disappointing start to the campaign, but the team relied on Jonas Johansson as the next man up instead.

Waivers: 10/2/25

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There are 22 new names on the waiver wire today, PuckPedia reports. Everyone on the wire yesterday passed through aside from goaltender Pheonix Copley, who’s heading to the Lightning from the Kings.

Calgary Flames

F Rory Kerins
G Ivan Prosvetov
D Ilya Solovyov

Columbus Blue Jackets

D Daemon Hunt

Edmonton Oilers

D Cam Dineen
D Riley Stillman

Pittsburgh Penguins

D Sebastian Aho
F Danton Heinen
D Philip Kemp
F Joona Koppanen
G Filip Larsson
F Valtteri Puustinen

Seattle Kraken

F Ben Meyers
F Mitchell Stephens

Utah Mammoth

F Ben McCartney
D Scott Perunovich

Vancouver Canucks

F Vitali Kravtsov

Vegas Golden Knights

D Dylan Coghlan
F Tanner Laczynski
F Raphael Lavoie
D Jaycob Megna
F Cole Schwindt

Heinen, Kerins, and Kravtsov jump out as the most notable skaters from the group. Heinen is one of the first veteran surprises to reach the wire this fall. The pending UFA costs $2.25MM against the cap and was a speculative trade candidate as the rebuilding Penguins look to shed their veterans on expiring deals. If he clears, he’ll still count for $1.1MM against Pittsburgh’s cap. It’s not as if he’s coming off a catastrophic 2024-25 season. He made 79 appearances split between the Canucks and Penguins, recording a 9-20–29 scoring line while averaging 13:27 per game. Those are all a few ticks below his career averages, but still serviceable bottom-six production for a reasonable price. He may not fit into the Penguins’ plans, but it wouldn’t be too surprising to see him claimed despite his cap impact.

Kerins has been a high-ceiling name in the Flames’ system for the past couple of years with quite strong AHL showings. He got his first taste of NHL action last year in a five-game call-up, looking like he belonged with four assists and a +3 rating while averaging 12:14 per game. The 5’10” pivot isn’t a natural fit in a fourth-line role, though, and Calgary doesn’t have an open spot for him in its top nine. He’s a pending RFA without arbitration rights on a two-way deal with a league minimum cap hit – prime conditions for a claim – and had 33 goals and 61 points in 63 AHL games last year.

Kravtsov not making it to the final couple of days of camp is a surprise. Selected No. 9 overall in 2018, he was on the Canucks’ reserve list after he departed the NHL to return to Russia in 2023. He had a great showing for Traktor Chelyabinsk in the Kontinental Hockey League last year, leading the team with 27 goals in 66 games while adding 31 assists for 58 points. That was enough to generate mutual interest between the Canucks and Kravtsov to resume their relationship, and he signed a one-year, two-way deal in August. He’s due to be a Group VI unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t hit 16 NHL games this year.

As for goalie-needy teams, Prosvetov might warrant some consideration after being passed over for Calgary’s backup job in favor of Devin Cooley. The 26-year-old has 24 NHL starts under his belt and was excellent in the KHL last year, managing a .920 SV% and 2.32 GAA in 38 games for CSKA Moscow.

Lightning Claim Pheonix Copley Off Waivers From Kings

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The Lightning have claimed goaltender Pheonix Copley off waivers from the Kings, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

Copley, 33, had signed a one-year, one-way, league minimum extension with L.A. in June to continue serving as a No. 3/4 option for them this season. The longtime fringe NHLer has spent the last three years in the Kings organization, including a one-off 2022-23 campaign that saw him emerge as the Kings’ starter for a bit until Joonas Korpisalo was acquired at the trade deadline. Since recording a 24-6-3 record and .903 SV% in 37 appearances that year, though, the Alaska native has only nine NHL games to his name.

Part of the lack of playing time was due to an ACL injury that ended his 2023-24 season in December, but he’d already slipped to third on the Kings’ depth chart by that point after regressing to a .870 SV% through eight starts. He ended up on waivers at the beginning of last year and cleared, spending the vast majority of the season in AHL Ontario aside from making one early-season NHL relief appearance. The 6’4″ netminder was serviceable in the starting role for Ontario, making 42 appearances with a .904 SV%, 2.49 GAA, two shutouts, and a 24-17-1 record.

The Lightning, in need of goaltending depth, make sure he won’t clear waivers this time around. They’ve been dealing with limited availability from star starter Andrei Vasilevskiy in camp, although Erik Erlendsson of Lightning Insider reported today that he’s likely to make his preseason debut this weekend. Even if Vasilevskiy’s health wasn’t a concern, the Lightning were likely on the lookout for another depth option between the pipes.

They have one of the more underwhelming No. 2 options in the league in Jonas Johansson, who’s only managed a .892 SV% and 3.27 GAA behind a stout Tampa defense over the past two years. The backup position in Tampa hasn’t been much of a concern with Vasilevskiy shouldering a 60-start workload, but with the club looking to lighten the pressure on him this year, it makes sense to bring in another experienced option who might be an upgrade on Johansson.

Copley wasn’t going to be an NHL factor for the Kings unless injury struck their NHL tandem of Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg, although that’s a likely outcome given their histories. They have just four goalies signed in the organization without him, and one, 19-year-old Carter George, is still ineligible for a full-time AHL assignment and has already reported to OHL Owen Sound for the year. That leaves 25-year-old Erik Portillo, who struggled to the tune of a .889 SV% in 24 AHL contests last year, as their lone recall option. As such, expect a free-agent pickup or corresponding waiver claim to try to give them more insurance and more cushion for Portillo in the minors.

If the Lightning begin the season with three goalies, they’d only be able to carry two extra skaters instead of three. In any event, the claim doesn’t put them in any sort of cap bind. They’ll have the flexibility to open the season with a full 23-player roster with Nick Paul counting against the cap on injured reserve if they choose. Paul underwent surgery last month and is expected to make his season debut in early November.

Waivers: 10/1/25

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With less than a week to go until the regular season, waiver season is in full swing. According to PuckPedia, the largest waiver placement of the preseason has taken place:

Boston Bruins

D Billy Sweezey

Colorado Avalanche

D Wyatt Aamodt
F Daniil Gushchin

Detroit Red Wings

F Sheldon Dries
D William Lagesson
F John Leonard
D Ian Mitchell
F Dominik Shine
F Austin Watson

Florida Panthers

F MacKenzie Entwistle
F Nolan Foote
F Wilmer Skoog

Los Angeles Kings

D Samuel Bolduc
F Logan Brown
F Martin Chromiak
G Pheonix Copley
F Glenn Gawdin
F Cole Guttman
D Joe Hicketts
F Andre Lee
F Akil Thomas
F Taylor Ward

Nashville Predators

D Andreas Englund

Philadelphia Flyers

F Lane Pederson

San Jose Sharks

F Patrick Giles

Tampa Bay Lightning

F Nicholas Abruzzese
F Boris Katchouk
F Jakob Pelletier

Utah Mammoth

G Jaxson Stauber

Washington Capitals

D Louis Belpedio
F Graeme Clarke
F Henrik Rybinski
F Bogdan Trineyev

Winnipeg Jets

F Jaret Anderson-Dolan
D Kale Clague
F Samuel Fagemo

Kings Re-Sign Pheonix Copley

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11:59 a.m.: It’s a one-way deal for Copley, per the team’s Zach Dooley. That could be an indication the team is open to him starting the season as Kuemper’s backup.

11:31 a.m.: The Kings have re-signed pending UFA goaltender Pheonix Copley to a one-year deal that will pay him the league minimum of $775K next season, per a club announcement. It’s unclear whether it’s a one-way or two-way commitment.

The upcoming season will mark Copley’s fourth in Los Angeles. He was initially brought in for the 2022-23 season to serve as the No. 3 option/AHL starter behind Jonathan Quick and Calvin Petersen, a role he’d held for many years with the Blues and Capitals. Instead, Quick and Petersen both put up unplayable numbers, leading Copley to get the call-up and the lion’s share of the starts. In a career-high 37 appearances, he was more than serviceable with a .903 SV%, 2.64 GAA, and one shutout, helping L.A. to a 24-6-3 record in games he received the decision for. He was supplanted as the starter in the playoffs by trade deadline pickup Joonas Korpisalo, but he at least did enough to establish himself as a full-time NHL option.

L.A. brought him back on a one-year, $1.5MM deal for 2023-24 as a result. He started the year as UFA pickup Cam Talbot’s backup, but after going 4-1-2 with a .870 SV% and 3.16 GAA in just eight appearances, his season came to an end in December after undergoing ACL surgery.

The Kings still wanted to keep him around as an insurance option for this past season, though, signing him to another one-year deal after free agency opened. While Copley was back to full health, he’d slipped behind David Rittich on the depth chart and was back to serving in a more familiar No. 3 role. He allowed two goals on 12 shots in a relief appearance against the Maple Leafs early in the year, otherwise spending the campaign with AHL Ontario after clearing waivers. In his first extended minor-league stint in three years, the 33-year-old Alaskan was good with a 2.49 GAA, .904 SV%, two shutouts, and a 24-17-1 record in 42 games.

His numbers were far better than what top prospect Erik Portillo (.889 SV%, 2.82 GAA) put up as his backup. As a result, with Rittich slated to hit the open market this summer on the heels of an underwhelming 2024-25 performance, Copley might get another chance in training camp to be the Kings’ No. 2, this time behind 2025 Vezina Trophy finalist Darcy Kuemper.

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