The Los Angeles Kings have acquired goaltender Pheonix Copley from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for future considerations, the teams announced Wednesday.

Copley was claimed off waivers by the Lightning from the Kings on Oct. 2.

The 33-year-old North Pole, Alaska, native spent the 2024-25 season with the Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, where he went 24-17-1 in 42 appearances with a .904 save percentage and 2.49 goals-against average. He appeared in just one game for the Kings last season, entering in relief.

Copley signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with Los Angeles on June 16.

Copley has a 44-16-8 record with a 2.84 goals-against average and .898 save percentage in 77 career NHL games with the Kings, Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues.

After getting Copley back, the Kings announced that they have loaned netminder Erik Portillo to the Reign.

What it means

Getting Copley back is a sure sign the Kings never wanted to lose him in the first place. Trying to sneak the 33-year-old veteran through waivers was unavoidable and the Lightning had claimed him on Oct. 2 to provide some immediate depth as longtime starter Andrei Vasilevskiy was recovering from injury during training camp.

But when Vasilevskiy became available for Tampa Bay’s season opener against Ottawa and backup Jonas Johansson already in place, that once again made Copley expendable. Los Angeles will gladly welcome Copley back. He’s been a reliable No. 3 option who has allowed immediate prospect Portillo to develop at a measured pace.

Copley’s value to the Kings was never more important than in the 2022-23 season. When Jonathan Quick, the franchise’s iconic netminder, struggled to start that year and Cal Petersen was shaky despite a 5-3-2 record, Copley stabilized L.A.’s crease and helped keep the season on the rails. His advanced metrics weren’t great, but a 24-6-3 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and .903 save percentage was steady enough.

Ultimately, the Kings acquired Joonas Korpisalo and went with him in their playoff series against Edmonton. But with the Kings returning Portillo to the AHL’s Ontario Reign, the acquisition of Copley could signal their preference for a veteran backup to Anton Forsberg as Darcy Kuemper deals with a lower-body injury. Kuemper did not practice Wednesday and is listed as day-to-day.

Forsberg figures to start Thursday against Pittsburgh and be the guy in the near term. The Kings have a five-game road trip after Saturday’s home contest against Carolina. That’s where Copley could come into play if Kuemper doesn’t improve enough to make the trip. — Eric Stephens