The Tampa Bay Lightning have added to their goaltending depth, claiming veteran netminder Pheonix Copley off waivers from the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.
Copley, 33, spent the majority of last season in the AHL with the Ontario Reign, going 24-17-1 in 42 games, posting a .904 save percentage and 2.49 goals-against average.
In 77 career NHL games with the Kings, Washington Capitals and St. Louis Blues, the Alaska native has a 44-16-8 record with a 2.84 GAA and .898 save percentage.
Copley’s arrival gives Tampa Bay another experienced option behind Andrei Vasilevskiy, who was battling an undisclosed injury at the start of camp. The Lightning had been exploring ways to solidify their depth in net, with Jonas Johansson and Matt Tomkins also in the mix.
Friedman adds that Vasilevskiy is going to play in the team's pre-season game Saturday and is expected to play the Lightning's opener on Thursday.
Los Angeles brought back Copley last year on a one-year deal worth $775,000 to provide some depth behind Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg.
