Copley was placed on waivers Wednesday, Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Capitals will be in a salary cap crunch once Evgeny Kuznetsov (suspension) returns to the lineup, so Copley's $1.1 million cap hit is a luxury they can't afford at the moment. Moreover, management is likely curious to give top prospect Ilya Samsonov some work at the NHL level given that starter Braden Holtby is a pending unrestricted free agent likely headed for a big payday. The 27-year-old Copley was a serviceable backup in 2018-19, posting a 2.90 GAA and .905 save percentage behind a 16-7-3 record in 27 starts, so it's certainly possible another team will take a flyer on him.