Pheonix Copley
Copley signed with Columbus on July 1, 2026 as veteran goalie depth, but as of September 23, 2026 he has been placed on waivers for assignment to the AHL's Cleveland Monsters, meaning he opens the 2026-27 season outside the Blue Jackets' NHL crease picture unless another club claims him.
Role
Per NHL.com's September 23, 2026 transactions release, Columbus waived Copley (along with forwards James Malatesta and Owen Sillinger) for assignment to Cleveland as the club trimmed its training camp roster to 34 players. RotoWire (September 23, 2026) reports that Cam Talbot, signed September 15 on a one-year, $950,000 deal, is now projected as Jet Greaves' backup while Elvis Merzlikins recovers from offseason shoulder surgery, which pushed Copley down the depth chart. Earlier in camp, The Athletic's Jesse Granger had reported (per Sports Forecaster's August 20, 2026 note) that Copley was expected to step into the backup role behind Greaves with Merzlikins out, but that plan was superseded by the Talbot signing. Unless claimed off waivers by another team, Copley is expected to open the season with Cleveland of the AHL.
He is a proven NHL-caliber veteran (six-plus seasons of NHL appearances, career .909 AHL save percentage) whom Columbus GM Don Waddell specifically wanted as experienced third-goalie insurance, and Merzlikins' recovery timeline from shoulder surgery is unsettled, so a recall or an NHL claim remains plausible if either Greaves or Talbot struggles or gets hurt.
He was passed over for the backup job by a September 15 free-agent signing (Talbot) and was waived for assignment to the AHL on September 23, meaning he is currently third or fourth on Columbus's goalie depth chart with no clear NHL role to start the season.
Where analysts split
There is no live disagreement among analysts about his role: the reporting (Sports Forecaster/Athletic in August, then RotoWire in September) simply tracks a status that changed once Columbus signed Talbot, moving Copley from presumptive backup to waived/AHL-bound. The remaining open question, not a matter of analyst debate but of unresolved fact, is whether another team claims him off waivers or whether he clears to Cleveland.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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