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Pheonix Copley

Kings Sign Warren Foegele, Re-Sign Copley, Lewis; Sign Five Others

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David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports the Los Angeles Kings have agreed to a contract with free agent forward Warren Foegele. It’s a three-year deal in the $3.5MM AAV range, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger. They’re also bringing back depth goalie Pheonix Copley and fourth-line forward Trevor Lewis, per Dennis Bernstein of The Fourth Period.  The team also announced the signings of forward Jeff Malott (one-way in 2024-25, two-way in 2025-26) and Glenn Gawdin on two-year contracts plus centers Tyler Madden and Jack Studnicka along with defenseman Reilly Walsh on one-year, two-way agreements.

Foegele is the headline addition out of the group.  He’s coming off a career year with Edmonton, one that saw him post 20 goals and 21 assists in 82 regular season games despite averaging less than 14 minutes a night of ice time.  However, he wasn’t quite as productive in the playoffs, being held to three goals and five assists in 22 contests.

Still, it’s a nice raise for the 28-year-old who recently wrapped up a three-year deal that carried a cap hit of $2.75MM.  He’ll likely take the place of Viktor Arvidsson on Los Angeles’ roster; coincidentally, Arvidsson signed a two-year agreement with the Oilers today to replace Foegele.  His role will likely be the same with the Kings, splitting time between the second and third lines.

As for Copley, he received a one-year, $825K agreement.  The 32-year-old North Pole native was a feel-good story in 2022-23, coming up from the AHL to eventually post a 2.64 GAA with a .903 SV% in 37 games, earning him a one-year, $1.5MM deal for last season.  However, Copley struggled in his eight appearances before tearing his ACL, ending his campaign in December.  He’ll have a chance to battle David Rittich for the backup job with the other netminder heading for AHL Ontario.

Lewis, meanwhile, signed for $800K, a small raise after making the league minimum.  The 37-year-old played in all 82 games last season, picking up eight goals and eight assists on the fourth line while playing a regular role on the penalty kill.  He’s likely to reprise that role for 2024-25 which will be his 17th NHL campaign.

Malott has been a productive AHL scorer for the last three seasons, helping him secure a one-way year on this contract.  He played exclusively with AHL Manitoba in 2023-24, notching 22 goals and 30 assists; it was the third straight campaign of 20-plus goals at that level.  Despite that, he has just one career game of NHL experience.  Even with the change in organization, the 27-year-old will likely have to start with the Reign and try to earn a recall from there.

Gawdin has a bit more NHL experience, seeing action in each of the last four years, spanning 13 games in total.  He’s coming off a career year with AHL San Diego, one that saw him notch 22 goals and 33 assists in 70 games.  The 27-year-old will be counted on to play a prominent role with the Reign next season.

Madden, meanwhile, is someone more familiar with the organization having spent the last four seasons with them, all with the Reign.  He was non-tendered on Sunday to avoid giving him arbitration rights but quickly struck an agreement to return.  The 24-year-old had 15 goals and 19 assists last season and should remain a regular in Ontario’s lineup.

Studnicka is the most experienced of their AHL-bound signings.  He played in 22 NHL games last season but was limited to just one goal, eventually resulting in his clearing waivers.  He was more productive in the minors, collecting 21 points in 36 games between AHL Abbotsford and San Jose.  The 25-year-old has 107 career NHL games under his belt where he has six goals and ten assists.

As for Walsh, he has been a productive defenseman at the AHL level with a pair of 40-plus-point showings.  Last season, he played in Boston’s system with Providence, collecting nine goals and 18 assists in 60 games.  The 25-year-old became a Group Six free agent and should play a big role on Ontario’s back end next season.

Pheonix Copley Out For The Season

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The Kings have been without backup goaltender Pheonix Copley for nearly a month now and they won’t be getting him back this season.  John Hoven of Mayor’s Manor was the first to report that the netminder has undergone successful ACL surgery which will keep him out for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.  The team has subsequently confirmed the news.

The North Pole native was a major bright spot for Los Angeles last season, coming up from the minors to pick up 24 victories in just 37 games played, helping to stabilize what had been an uncertain goaltending situation until Joonas Korpisalo was acquired at the trade deadline.  That helped earn Copley a one-year, $1.5MM contract extension last February.

But things hadn’t gone as well for the 31-year-old this year.  Before being injured, Copley struggled in his first eight starts of the season, posting a 3.16 GAA with a .870 SV%, leading to some speculation that they could once again look to the trade market as they did a year ago to try to shore up their second-string option behind Cam Talbot.

For the time being, veteran David Rittich will serve as Talbot’s backup with Aaron Dell joining their farm team in Ontario to back-fill that spot.  But with Copley’s contract now destined to remain on LTIR, they may be able to use some of that money to try to acquire an upgrade on Rittich in the second half of the season.  Failing that, they may at least be able to keep an extra player or two on the active roster once winger Viktor Arvidsson can return from his back injury which has had him on LTIR for the entire season so far.

Los Angeles Kings Send Down Moverare, Place Copley On LTIR

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Without much clarification as to the nature of the injury, reports emerged two days ago that goaltender for the Los Angeles Kings, Pheonix Copley left the team’s practice and had to be helped off the ice. Today, the Kings announced that they have placed Copley on the long-term injured reserve, and also loaned defenseman Jacob Moverare to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.

Joining forward Viktor Arvidsson on the LTIR, the team will now have a touch over $2.5MM in current cap space, allowing them to comfortably carry David Rittich as the backup goaltender for the foreseeable future. After giving Los Angeles some much-needed stability in the net last season, the Kings rewarded Copley’s efforts with a one-year, $1.5MM extension for this year.

Largely serving as the team’s starting goaltender for much of last season, Copley had returned to the backup role this year, after being handily outplayed by free-agent acquisition, Cam Talbot. In eight starts this year, Copley carries a 4-1-2 record, coupled with a .870 SV% and a 3.16 GAA.

Comparatively, in somewhat of a night-and-day difference, Talbot leads the organization with 19 starts on the season, holding a 13-5-2 record, and impressively maintaining a .926 SV% and 2.02 GAA. With adequate depth in the crease throughout the entirety of the organization, the Kings should be able to weather the storm without Copley for the foreseeable future.

Also a part of the transaction this evening, Moverare is in his third season of being a depth defenseman for Los Angeles, typically finding himself in the AHL with Ontario. Last season being his most successful in the minor leagues, Moverare played in a total of 62 games for the Reign, scoring four goals and 26 points overall.

Although being used as a primary candidate for paper transactions coming out of the Kings organization this season, this will be Moverare’s eighth promotion and demotion of the year. Throughout his lengthy list of callups, Moverare has only suited up in two games for Los Angeles, failing to score a point after averaging 14 and a half minutes of ice time per night.

Kings Place Vladislav Gavrikov On Injured Reserve, Recall David Rittich

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The Los Angeles Kings have officially placed defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov on injured reserve, and have recalled goaltender David Rittich on an emergency basis. Given that players must be on the injured reserve for a minimum of seven days after placement, the timeline of Gavrikov’s return will not change much, given that it was reported he would be week-to-week.

As one of the more frustrating defenders to line up against in the NHL, the Kings will be hard-pressed to find an internal option to replace Gavrikov in their lineup adequately. Since the team is unwilling to carry more than three right-handed shot defensemen, they will likely fill in the hole with Jacob Moverare and Tobias Bjornfot.

Being the second-highest-paid defenseman on the team, Gavrikov ranks fourth amongst Los Angeles defensemen in average time on ice, scoring three goals and nine points in 25 games. On the defensive side of the puck, Gavrikov is fourth on the team in blocked shots and continues to post above-average possession numbers from the blue line.

In the case of Rittich, it was reported earlier this afternoon that regular backup goaltender Pheonix Copley was helped off the ice toward the end of today’s practice (X Link). Currently, there has been no update as to the status of Copley, although it is likely he will not suit up in the team’s game tomorrow night against the Seattle Kraken.

Although Rittich has operated as a backup goaltender for much of his career, this will be his first callup with the Kings since signing a one-year, $875K contract this past summer. In 16 games played for Los Angeles’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, Rittich holds a 7-6-3 record with a .901 SV% and a 2.63 GAA.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Jean-François Bérubé To PTO

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CapFriendly is reporting that the Los Angeles Kings have signed goaltender Jean-François Bérubé to a professional tryout agreement. Bérubé will join netminders Pheonix Copley, Cam Talbot, and David Rittich in the collection of goalies who will vie for two NHL roster spots.

A native of Repentigny, Quebec, Bérubé spent last season with the Panthers’ organization playing for Charlotte in the AHL. While a member of the Checkers, Bérubé posted an .885 save percentage to go along with a 3.22 goals-against average in 19 appearances.

Bérubé was originally drafted into the NHL by the Kings back in 2009. The Kings selected the 32-year-old in the fourth round, 95th overall and he spent the first four professional seasons of his career with the Manchester Monarchs of the AHL.

It wasn’t until the 2015-16 season with the New York Islanders that Bérubé made his NHL debut. This kickstarted a three-year run in which he bounced back and forth between the NHL and AHL.

Bérubé’s last NHL appearances came with the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2021-22 season, where he dressed in six games, going 3-2-0 with a 4.12 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.

Given his career numbers, and where his game was last season in the AHL, it seems unlikely that Bérubé will crack the Kings lineup and earn an NHL contract. However, he should be able to snag an AHL contract and play professional hockey in North America this season.

Nominees Announced For 2023 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

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The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is given out annually to the NHL player who exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. The Professional Hockey Writers’ Association has voted on the award since 1968, and today they announced their nominees for 2023.

Past winners of the award include Carey Price (2022), Oskar Lindblom (2021), Bobby Ryan (2020), Robin Lehner (2019), Brian Boyle (2018), Craig Anderson (2017), and Jaromir Jagr (2016).

Below are the nominees from each team:

Anaheim Ducks – Jakob Silfverberg

Arizona Coyotes – Clayton Keller

Boston Bruins – Nick Foligno

Buffalo Sabres – Craig Anderson

Calgary Flames – Mikael Backlund

Carolina Hurricanes – Jordan Martinook

Chicago Blackhawks – Alex Stalock

Colorado Avalanche – Andrew Cogliano

Columbus Blue Jackets – Boone Jenner

Dallas Stars – Jamie Benn

Detroit Red Wings – Robby Fabbri

Edmonton Oilers – Derek Ryan

Florida Panthers – Patric Hornqvist

Los Angeles Kings – Pheonix Copley

Minnesota Wild – Mason Shaw

Montreal Canadiens – Alex Belzile

Nashville Predators – Cody Glass

New Jersey Devils – Dougie Hamilton

New York Islanders – Zach Parise

New York Rangers – Jimmy Vesey

Ottawa Senators – Derick Brassard

Philadelphia Flyers – Nick Seeler

Pittsburgh Penguins – Kris Letang

San Jose Sharks – Nikolai Knyzhov

Seattle Kraken – Brandon Tanev

St. Louis Blues – Sammy Blais

Tampa Bay Lightning – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare

Toronto Maple Leafs – Mark Giordano

Vancouver Canucks – Brock Boeser

Vegas Golden Knights – Phil Kessel

Washington Capitals – John Carlson

Winnipeg Jets – Sam Gagner

Los Angeles Kings Extend Pheonix Copley

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The Los Angeles Kings have signed goaltender Pheonix Copley to a one-year, $1.5MM contract extension.

The deal comes in the wake of Copley’s impressive 2022-23 season. Copley has gone 15-3-1 in 20 games played, seizing the Kings’ starting job from franchise legend Jonathan Quick. It’s been a whirlwind campaign for Copley, who signed with the Kings over the summer undoubtedly with the idea in mind that he’d be the Kings’ number-three netminder, spending the bulk of the year with their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign.

That didn’t happen, though, as the immense struggles of $5MM AAV netminder Cal Petersen this year (.868 save percentage in 10 games) necessitated that Copley be brought to the NHL roster to back up Quick, in order to allow Petersen to rebuild his game as the AHL starter.

While Petersen has performed quite well at the AHL level (.918 save percentage in 19 games) the Kings have kept Copley in the NHL, as he simply keeps on winning. Copley went on a seven-game winning streak from December to January, and, after taking a loss against the juggernaut Boston Bruins, won his next three games as well.

Copley’s numbers outside of his record aren’t great (.897 save percentage) but he’s put the Kings in a position to win and has given them just enough in net in order to come away with two points on most nights. While it’s not the largest sample size, it’s easy to see why the Kings have made the choice to give him a $1.5MM deal for next season.

What isn’t easy to see, though, is where Copley factors into the Kings’ future. Quick is 37 and certainly struggled this season, and also is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. In September, Quick stated that he planned on continuing his career beyond this season. While it’s possible that his lackluster performance this season has changed his outlook, it seems more likely that the ultra-competitive Quick will want to continue his career so he can end it on more productive footing.

But with Copley now on an NHL deal for next season, could Quick be forced to head elsewhere if he doesn’t want to retire? It’s always seemed as though Quick would have a place on the Kings for as long as he would want one, but perhaps the Kings’ dire situation in net this year has changed that.

What’s also possible is that the Kings may choose to buyout Petersen. Despite Petersen’s strong AHL performance, the Kings could opt to buy out Petersen in July. While the move wouldn’t save them any cap space for 2023-24, it would save them nearly $5MM the year after, at the cost of a $1.6MM cap hit for the following two years.

Cal Petersen Clears Waivers; Kings Make Several Roster Moves

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3:31 PM: Add one more roster move to today’s avalanche of transactions in Southern California. Per a team release, the Kings have recalled forward Tyler Madden from the Reign.

This recall puts Madden, 23, in a position to make his NHL debut. The forward is perhaps best known as a former Vancouver Canucks prospect who was sent to Los Angeles as part of the team’s Tyler Toffoli trade.

Madden has scored five goals and eight points in 16 AHL games so far this year and scored 14 goals and 31 points in 48 games last year. Madden played his collegiate career at Northeastern University and scored 37 points in 27 games in his second and final season there.

1:15 PM: As expected, Cal Petersen has cleared waivers after a dreadful start to the season. The Los Angeles Kings have sent him to the minor leagues, while completing several other roster moves. Tobias Bjornfot, Pheonix Copley, and Samuel Fagemo have been recalled, while Rasmus Kupari and Jordan Spence are joining Petersen with the Ontario Reign.

It has been a precipitous fall from grace for Petersen, who signed a $15MM contract just over 14 months ago. That deal includes a $4MM signing bonus next year and $11MM total over the last two seasons, a price tag that many clubs would likely balk at if considering a claim. The fact is that he just hasn’t been good enough to justify that price tag, making it easy to understand why teams would pass over him on waivers.

If he can get his game back in order, there will be a path back to the NHL for Petersen. Copley doesn’t represent a huge upgrade, despite strong performances in the minor leagues. Through 31 NHL games, the 30-year-old has a .900 save percentage, and hasn’t played regularly at that level since 2018-19. While he can serve as a backup, for the time being, the Kings goaltending situation looks rather suspect at the moment.

By assigning Petersen to the minor leagues, Los Angeles will clear $1.125MM of cap space off the books, though a good chunk of that is eaten up by Copley’s $825K deal.

Los Angeles Kings Sign Pheonix Copley, Tobie Paquette-Bisson

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The Los Angeles Kings have signed a pair of minor-league deals today, signing goalie Pheonix Copley to a one-year, one-way deal worth $825,000 and defenseman Tobie Paquette-Bisson to a one-year, two-way deal worth $750,000.

Copley, 30, was once considered a potential NHL up-and-coming netminder, when he played 27 games with the Washington Capitals in 2018-19. He’s barely been back since, though, and has just 31 appearances to his name. His deal with the Kings is almost certainly as a minor league option, where he has much more experience.

Paquette-Bisson is signing his first NHL contract after spending the last few seasons in the minor leagues. It is a heck of a success story for an undrafted, defenseman that played two full years in the ECHL.

Because he is now 25, he is not restricted by the entry-level system, which means he can get a bit more money. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that he will earn $175K in the AHL and holds a $200K minor league guarantee.

Washington Capitals Recall Pheonix Copley

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The Hershey Bears are out of the Calder Cup playoffs after losing on Monday to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, so the Washington Capitals are bringing up another goaltender. Pheonix Copley has been recalled to the NHL, while Hunter Shepard is officially assigned to the Bears, even though their season is over.

Copley, 30, will likely serve as the team’s emergency backup as they try to stave off elimination at home. The Capitals are down 3-2 in the series against the Florida Panthers and will try to force a game seven this evening, meaning any goaltending emergencies will be covered by a netminder with plenty of professional experience. Copley has 31 appearances in the NHL and was excellent for Hershey this year, posting a .913 save percentage in 35 regular season games.

Notably, Tom Wilson was back on the ice this morning for the Capitals as well, though he will not play tonight. The physical forward is dealing with a lower-body injury that has kept him out since game one when he saw just three shifts before exiting.

Joe Snively was also back with the group but he remains on long-term injured reserve for the time being.

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