Los Angeles Kings Acquire Pheonix Copley
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
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
Edmonton Oilers
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
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
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
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
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
Philadelphia Flyers
San Jose Sharks
Tampa Bay Lightning
F Nicholas Abruzzese
F Boris Katchouk
F Jakob Pelletier
Utah Mammoth
Washington Capitals
D Louis Belpedio
F Graeme Clarke
F Henrik Rybinski
F Bogdan Trineyev
Winnipeg Jets
Kings Re-Sign Pheonix Copley
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.
Los Angeles Kings Recall Six Black Aces
As they look to stave off elimination in Game 6, the Los Angeles Kings announced several recalls. According to the announcement, forwards Andre Lee, Francesco Pinelli, Jack Studnicka, Taylor Ward, defenseman Caleb Jones, and netminder Pheonix Copley have been recalled as black aces.
Pinelli is the only player of the group who hasn’t debuted in the NHL yet. Although he has mild NHL experience, Studnicka did not play with the Kings during the regular season.
The remaining four all enjoyed limited playing time with Los Angeles this year. Lee appeared in the most contests, scoring one goal and two assists in 19 games while averaging 9:10 of ice time per game.
Los Angeles likely recalled players solely based on their past NHL experience. They did not promote any of the Reign’s top four point scorers (although Jeff Malott is already on the team) or the top five players with the best +/- ratings.
Still, it’s unlikely any of the six call-ups will play in Game 6 for the Kings. Entering their first elimination game of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, Tanner Jeannot remains the only injured member on the roster. Without any meaningful injury updates after Game 5, it’s unlikely any of today’s recalls will suit up for the Kings.
West Notes: Landeskog, Copley, George, Vilardi, Ehlers, Hronek
After flirting with an official comeback in Games 1 & 2, Gabriel Landeskog will suit up for the Colorado Avalanche in Game 3. The NHL proudly announced that Landeskog will play in his first game for the first time in 1,032 days.
Landeskog’s return to the NHL minutes is one of the most remarkable comebacks in professional sports. After captaining the Colorado Avalanche to a Stanley Cup championship in 2022, the Swedish winger underwent arthroscopic knee surgery, which is an operation more inclined to return an individual to a generic standard of mobility rather than professional sports. Through intense willpower, Landeskog was able to overcome.
It’ll be important for the rest of the Avalanche, too. Based on multiple interviews with players on the team, the void of Landeskog has been present for some time, and having him back in the lineup, even for a few shifts, should lead to intense motivation.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- The Los Angeles Kings have switched up their emergency third goalies for Game 2. The Kings announced they’ve recalled netminder Carter George from their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, and have reassigned Pheonix Copley in a corresponding roster move. Should George play, which is incredibly unlikely, it would be the first NHL appearance of his career.
- There are a few injury updates for the Winnipeg Jets as their opening-round series transitions to St. Louis. Mike McIntyre of the Winnipeg Free Press reported that forward Gabriel Vilardi will travel with the team while Nikolaj Ehlers will not. Still, it’s important to note that Vilardi has yet to practice without a non-contact jersey, meaning he could remain a ways away from returning.
- Team Czechia will have a quality defenseman join them for their IIHF World Championship gold medal repeat bid. Earlier today, it was announced that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek will join his international team for the upcoming tournament. It’ll be the first time since the summer of 2022 that Hronek has played in the tournament when he tallied two assists in 10 contests.
Kings Recall Pheonix Copley
The Kings have recalled Pheonix Copley from AHL Ontario to serve as their league-mandated emergency backup during the postseason, the team announced.
Normally, teams recall depth names from the ECHL or other relative unknowns in the system to fill the role if their AHL affiliate is in the Calder Cup Playoffs. That’s not the case here. Copley, 33, appeared in 42 of Ontario’s 72 regular-season games and was their unquestioned starter with a 2.49 GAA, .904 SV%, 24-17-1 record, and two shutouts. Backup Erik Portillo, who made his NHL debut this season, managed 15 wins but only a .889 SV% in 24 outings.
Nonetheless, it appears Copley won’t be available to Ontario as they begin their first-round series against the San Jose Barracuda. That’s a huge declaration of faith by the organization, not only in Portillo but in 18-year-old Carter George, who’s finishing the season with the Reign after his Owen Sound Attack was eliminated in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League playoffs. The 2024 second-round pick is widely regarded as a top-five prospect in the organization and has allowed just one goal on 61 shots to begin his professional career, posting a 0.50 GAA and .984 SV% across two games with Ontario over the last week. With Copley out, the door is open for him to play professional playoff hockey, a rare feat for a teenage netminder.
As for Copley, it’s nice to see the veteran get back on track after ACL surgery in December 2023 upended his career. He only made one NHL appearance in relief this year, allowing two goals on 12 shots against the Maple Leafs early in the year, but he was L.A.’s No. 2 option as recently as two years ago when he went 24-6-3 with a .903 SV% and 2.64 GAA in 37 games in the 2022-23 season. An infrequent backup option throughout his lengthy professional career, he’s likely ticketed for AHL action as long as he’s still in the game.
Kings Place Andreas Englund On Waivers, Reassign Pheonix Copley
The Los Angeles Kings have made a pair of roster moves ahead of the 4-Nations Face-Off break, placing defenseman Andreas Englund on waivers for purpose of reassignment and sending goaltender Pheonix Copley back to the minor leagues per John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor. Both players have served as extras in the Kings lineup for much of the season. Englund played in spurts through October, November, and January – but it’s been nearly a month since he’s stepped into the lineup. He has just one goal in the 11 appearances he has made and averaged just 6:30 in ice time in the three games he played in January.
Originally an Ottawa Senators draft pick in 2014, Englund has fallen into the role of journeyman depth defender since leaving the Senators for a minor-league deal in Colorado in 2021. He’s a bruting six-foot-four, 200-pound defenseman who racked up over 100 penalty minutes in 57 games of the 2021-22 AHL season. That physical presence was enough to earn him an NHL deal and routine role with the Colorado Avalanche in 2022-23. He played 36 games with the NHL Colorado, and 15 games in the AHL, and scored three points in both leagues. He was traded late in the year to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for veteran defender Jack Johnson. Englund finished his year with 11 games and one point in the Chicago lineup.
The Blackhawks let Englund walk to free agency in the following summer, where he’d ultimately land a two-year, $2MM contract with the Kings. He’d go on to play in all 82 games of Los Angeles’ 2023-24 campaign. That consistency allowed him to set 10 points and 81 penalty minutes, both career-highs at the NHL level. He hasn’t had the same bid for the lineup this year, and now seems poised to spend the Kings’ two-weeks break on a return trip to the minor leagues.
Meanwhile, Copley has been the forgotten third in Los Angeles’ goalie room. He’s played in just one NHL game this season – a 2-1 loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs in October. Copley has been far more active in the minor leagues this year. In 20 games with the Ontario Reign, he’s set a 13-7-0 record and .906 save percentage. His save percentage leads the trio of Reign goaltenders, but his 13 wins are tied with Erik Portillo‘s mark through 22 games. Portillo and Copley should rotate starts over the next two weeks, and the latter’s stay in the minors could stick now that Los Angeles has starter Darcy Kuemper back to full health.
Kings Recall Pheonix Copley On Emergency Basis, Place Mikey Anderson On IR
With Darcy Kuemper away from the team for personal reasons, the Kings needed to add a goalie to their roster for their game tonight versus Anaheim. The team announced that veteran netminder Pheonix Copley has been recalled from AHL Ontario. To make room on the roster, defenseman Mikey Anderson has been placed on injured reserve.
It’s the fourth recall of the season for Copley whose previous stints with the big club have been short-lived. That trend will almost certainly continue as he’s a strong candidate to be sent back to the Reign following the game. The North Pole native has only made one appearance with Los Angeles this season, that coming in relief back in mid-October but extended his streak of seasons with an NHL game to four. Copley has also played 20 times for Ontario, putting up a 2.45 GAA along with a .906 SV%.
Anderson, meanwhile, has missed a little more than a week with a finger injury sustained late last month. He has logged heavy minutes for Los Angeles this season, ranking second on the team in ATOI at 22:50 (excluding Drew Doughty who is five games into his return). Through 49 games, Anderson has five goals and nine assists along with 83 blocks and 68 hits. He’ll be eligible to be activated at any time as he has already missed more than the required seven days.