Ben Bishop Traded to LA, for Some Reason

Well, it finally happened. Though I must say, I’m surprised about the destination.

Ben Bishop has been on the trading block since at least last season. His contract is set to expire this summer. He’s a good goalie, and the Lightning knew this, but they have Andrei Vasilevskiy waiting in the wings and many other expensive contracts to worry about.

Steven Stamkos signed an 8-year contract worth $8.5 million/year this past summer, and Victor Hedman’s similarly massive extension also kicks in next season. On top of that, Ondrej Palat, Tyler Johnson, and Jonathan Drouin are all due new contracts this summer, and even though they’re RFA, they’re skilled and going to be costly. Bishop, with an excellent .925 sv% at 5v5 over the last three seasons could command a 7-year deal worth upwards of $6 million this summer. Tampa simply couldn’t afford to give him that deal with the expansion draft looming and the ability to protect only one goalie.

Bishop goes to the Kings (along with a 2017 5th-rounder) for, well, reasons a little beyond my comprehension, honestly. I mean, if this trade was made back in October or November, I say “okay, smart move LA.” But Jonathan Quick was literally activated yesterday after having been out since October 12th(!). They’ve got a hell of a tandem between the two netminders, but the move seems a bit redundant and definitely odd to make at this time.

More importantly, the Kings play a system that only requires average goaltending for success — since Darryl Sutter took over as head coach in 2012, the Kings have finished first or second in CF% but have been notoriously low-scoring teams. Peter Budaj was providing better than average goaltending already, and as previously stated, they had just gotten Quick back. Despite being one of the best teams at controlling the shot rates, they are 25th in the league in goals, and more desperately needed a scoring forward than another starting goaltender. This trade isn’t necessarily going to hurt them, but it isn’t the wisest use of assets for a team that has so few to spare, and I can’t see a way this more than marginally increases their chance of success down the stretch.

As for Tampa Bay, they get back assets (specifically, Peter Budaj, defensive prospect Erik Cernak, a 2017 7th-rounder, and another conditional 2017 pick) for a player they knew they weren’t going to sign and a reliable backup for the rest of the season in Budaj. They sit 7 points out of a playoff spot, but with a game-in-hand. They’re most likely going to miss the postseason, but if any team has the talent to put together a hot run, it’s the Lightning.

Steve Yzerman continues to show that he is one of the league’s premier GMs, if not the best the NHL has. He got Stamkos, Hedman, and Kucherov to agree to contracts well below the value they actually bring to the table, but Bishop has a market unto himself and can go anywhere and win. Despite the fact that this has been a down season for the perennially contending Lightning, Yzerman is still finding ways to get value out of his expiring assets. Look for him to move Brian Boyle next.