Amid injury news for head coach Jim Hiller and the Los Angeles Kings in goal between the pipes, new general manager Ken Holland brought a familiar netminder back to Southern California late this week. The Kings reacquired goalie Pheonix Copley from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for future considerations.
Pheonix Copley officially joins the Los Angeles Kings via a trade with the Lightning after Tampa picked up him on waivers this past month
The Kings likely traded for Copley because of the recent injury news concerning starting goalie Darcy Kuemper, who suffered an ailment earlier this week that will likely cause him to miss LA's next game at home at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night (Oct. 16) against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Copley is going to back up Anton Forsberg in goal for the Kings while Kuemper is dealing with a lower-body injury this week.
The trade was announced officially on Wednesday that the Kings acquired Copley from the Lightning for the return of "future considerations".
This news comes as the Kings called up and reassigned goalie prospect Erik Portillo from the AHL affiliate Ontario Reign, all within the past 24 hours since Wednesday afternoon.
Copley was picked up from waivers by the Lightning in the Eastern Conference earlier this fall late in training camp and the preseason after the Kings put him through waivers to assign him to the Reign in the AHL. Despite being picked up by the Lightning off waivers earlier this fall, Copley didn't appear in any games for Tampa Bay early this regular season in the past couple of weeks.
The Kings are getting familiar veteran experience and depth in net with Copley returning to the crease for LA this fall early in the regular season. Copley has started over three dozen games over multiple seasons for the Kings in goal in the past few years. He started one game for the Kings this past regular season in the West, registering double-digit saves in a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in mid-October 2024.