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4 LA Kings on Thin Ice Following Jim Hiller Extension as Head Coach

After the Kings signed head coach Jim Hiller to a three-year extension, these four Los Angeles players have found themselves on thin ice.

By Devon Platana

Which Kings are on thin ice following the Jim Hiller contract extension?
Which Kings are on thin ice following the Jim Hiller contract extension? / Ronald Martinez/GettyImages
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4. Pheonix Copley, G

After a fantastic 2022-23 campaign between the pipes, Pheonix Copley barely got to see any action this season. The 32-year-old netminder's season came to a premature end when he tore his ACL in December, capping him off at just eight appearances.

While Copley is expected to make a complete recovery, returning to the Kings isn't exactly a sure thing. For starters, his play was regressing before his injury struck, proven by the 3.16 goals-against average and .870 save percentage recorded in his limit appearances.

Secondly, Copley didn't play a single game when Hiller was behind the bench. It's entirely possible that the Kings head coach would rather run things back with Cam Talbot and David Rittich, who both put forth better stats than their injured counterparts.

Thirdly, the ex-Michigan Tech product is also an unrestricted free agent this summer. If you combine that with the fact that he's coming off an ACL tear and is an unknown commodity to Hiller, it's easy to see why Los Angeles may decide to let him test the free agent waters.

Hopefully, Copley's ACL fully recovers so that he can continue his NHL career. It likely just has to happen with a different franchise.

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