After being placed on waivers yesterday afternoon, the Tampa Bay Lightning officially claimed goaltender Pheonix Copley from the Los Angeles Kings to strengthen their goalie depth.
Copley, 33 years old, had his best season for the Kings in the 2022-23 season, posting a 24-6-3 record with a 2.64 goals against average and a .903 save percentage in 37 games played.
However, since that season, he hasn’t been able to get on the ice consistently, as he suffered an ACL injury two seasons ago and hasn’t received much playing time for the Kings since then.
Injuries have played a significant role in his career over the last two seasons, and with the Kings still seeking to establish their goaltending depth, he was waived ahead of the opening night of the season.
As for Tampa Bay, Copley might be the healthiest he’s been since the injury, as he’s taken a lot of time off to get his body ready and should be prepared by opening night to provide backup for Andrei Vasilevskiy.
This move for the Lightning gives them a solid NHL-proven backup who can step in when needed if healthy. Copley’s presence should strengthen the Lightning’s goaltender depth in the long term, especially for this season.