Some breaking and exciting news from the Dallas Stars on Tuesday evening, as word came down that the club completed a trade with the Los Angeles Kings that would send goaltender Ben Bishop to Dallas. The Stars traded a 2017 fourth round National Hockey League draft pick (the pick is originally the Montreal Canadiens) to the Kings in exchange for the goaltender.
#Stars acquire goaltender Ben Bishop from the Kings in exchange for Montreal's fourth round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. pic.twitter.com/XrbD3EdQEJ
— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 9, 2017
Dallas Stars Acquire the Rights to Goaltender Ben Bishop
The Stars now hold the rights to Ben Bishop, and can exclusively negotiate with the goaltender about signing a contract with the club. This negotiation/signing process must be completed before July 1st, when Bishop will then become an unrestricted free agent.
Bishop, 30, has played a career total 270 games played (a 148-80-25 record) with the St. Louis Blues, the Ottawa Senators, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Los Angeles Kings. This season, Bishop was traded from the Bolts to the Kings where he served as backup goalie for Jonathan Quick. This season, Bishop played in 39 total games, posting a record 18-15-5, with a .910 save percentage and 2.54 goals average against. As for his playoff numbers, Bishop has played in 36 Stanley Cup Playoff games, going 21-13, with a save percentage of .927 and a GAA of 2.09.
In 2014-15, Bishop and the Lightning went on a run to the Stanley Cup Finals, his first and since, only appearance. The Lightning were edged by the Chicago Blackhawks in six games. Bishop has also been named a nominee for the Vezina Trophy (finished in second place) in 2016. Also in 2016, he was named to the NHL All-Star Team.
Dallas will most likely come to an agreement with Ben Bishop. Goaltending was a place of worries for the Stars this season; the team having no legitimate number one netminder. With Bishop most likely coming in, the Stars will look to deal either Kari Lehtonen or Antti Niemi. Bishop apparently wanted to come to Dallas, as TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported. Bishop played junior hockey with the Texas Tornado in the 2004-05 season.
It's believed Bishop's preference was to be dealt to DAL. BTW, Bishop played junior hockey in Texas.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 9, 2017
“Ben has proven that he is one of the elite goaltenders in the NHL,” said Dallas general manager Jim Nill in an interview with NHL.com. “This offers us the opportunity to negotiate with him before the free agency period begins.”
Main Photo: SUNRISE, FL – NOVEMBER 07: Ben Bishop #30 of the Tampa Bay Lightning makes a save during a game against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center on November 7, 2016 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
