Superstar goalie and impending free agent Ben Bishop has been traded by the Tampa Lightning to the Los Angeles Kings. TSN’s Bob McKenzie was the first to break the news. The return for Tampa is confirmed to be 2016-17 surprise Peter Budaj, 2015 second-round defenseman Erik Cernak, a 2017 seventh-round pick, and another conditional 2017 pick. Details of the conditional pick are complicated, but in essence there is no pick if the Kings miss the playoffs and can go as high as a second-rounder depending on L.A.’s postseason success and Bishop’s play.
If this trade confuses you, you’re not alone, as it is officially the biggest surprise of the 2017 NHL Trade Deadline to date and will be tough to beat. The Kings just got back starter Jonathan Quick last night, after he had missed all but one game this season with injury. This is the same Quick that led the team to Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014 and has a career 2.26 goals against average, a Conn Smythe, a Jennings, and an All-Star appearance. In his return, Quick allowed just one goal on 33 shots against the rival Anaheim Ducks and looked like he was fully healthy and ready to lead the Kings back into a playoff spot. So is Bishop an insurance policy for the stretch run? It’s possible. Bishop is an impending unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and would be, without question, the top goaltender on the open market. As far as deadline deals go, the Kings did not give up that much either. As good as Budaj has been, the 34-year-old was not in L.A.’s long-term plans. Cernak is a solid defensive prospect, playing for the OHL’s Erie Otters, who has a smart, responsible defensive style, but Cernak also lacks much offensive punch and was the King’s third or fourth-best defensive prospect at best.
The truly strange situation is that the Kings are currently fifth in the Pacific Division and sitting outside of a playoff spot and if they are going to get in, need scoring and not better goaltending. Budaj has been stellar and Quick is finally healthy. So why give up anything for Bishop when you may not even make the playoffs. It seems like Los Angeles could possibly have future plans for Bishop then. So does that mean Quick is on the trade block? Bishop’s career numbers are slightly superior to Quick’s, but Quick is the established goalie in Los Angeles and is signed long-term with a decent $5.8MM cap hit until 2022-23. Bishop would more than likely command a greater salary than that on the open market. So what’s the next move for GM Dean Lombardi and the L.A. Kings.
Meanwhile, the Lightning have received a solid backup to Andrei Vasilevskiy for the remainder of the season and possibly beyond, a young defenseman (which they are in need of), and some picks for a player they were willing to let walk in free agency. While many will debate this trade from the Kings side for the next month plus, GM Steve Yzerman can rest easy that he got something for nothing at this deadline in a time where Tampa Bay needs any good news they can get.
WHAT???????
What daaaaa heck
Wait?! WHAT!
But why ?
#Shocker!
But Quick just came back from injury didn’t he? LA must really be worried that he will get hurt again or will not be 100% the rest of the year.
With Quick back they are set. Campbell has been solid for Ontario. Budaj did a decent job filling in for quick. Guessing there is a bigger deal working in the background involving a goalie not named Quick.
The update has Budaj. Crowded crease in LA
This trade is a bit baffling. Goaltending hasn’t been the issue for the Kings. Budaj kept them in the playoff race with his play. Goal scoring has been their issue. I would’ve been less surprised if they would’ve gone after someone like Duchene. That at least would’ve filled a need
Hey Budaj, you have been great, thanks for everything you have done this year and keeping us in this thing! Oh by the way, there is a plane leaving for the other coast in 10 min, here is your ticket.
Kings won the trade. Genuinely gave up nothing. Budaj sucky prospect, 5th rounder, and a conditional pick
Not sure you can say Budaj is a sucky prospect, he is the reason they even have a shot. Sucks for him but I guess this is the business.
I meant. Budaj, and a suckyish prospect. I know Budaj has been unreal this season
Its purely a rental though. Highly unlikely that they resign him. And if Quick plays back to form, the team then has their marquee trade deadline acquisition riding the bench.
He’s 34 years old, far from a “prospect”.
The Kings used cap space they could’ve used to improve their dreadful offense to get a player they really didn’t need.
Bishop wont be in LA long. Quick is tenured in LA and they’d be wrong to give him up. Bishop is trade bait to get the scoring center LA needs.
Bishop and budaj in another deal for a Center and others on the Market.
Budaj was included in the Bishop deal…so he won’t be packaged with Bishop for scoring help.
Doesn’t make sense, not unless they wanted to reward Budaj for he great work in goal by trading him so he can play more. They need more offense desperately, they should go all in for Ducshene to help Kopitar. Speaking of Kopitar, he’s fee the pressure of that $10 million dollar contract. He’s my favorite player but I fell that he was over paid by 1.5 – 2 million.
This is like one of those AI-to-AI trades in a video game
Lol I agree. I’ve played the NHL games for years and this seems like Dean Lombardi called up Steve Yzerman after seeing someone do this trade in a game. Solid backup player, random prospect, and a random pick for a star.
You see it go across the ticker on the bottom of the screen, roll your eyes, and say “Yeah, right, who would do that?”
And then you do trades to “fix” the trade, or at least I do.
Yeah, go “cheat” things back to normal, or make them trade someone else to balance it out.
Other times, once you figure out the AI, you could brutally exploit them and build legendary superteams without technically cheating. In NHL 2004 I had a team I built “fair and square” that, after spending a couple years snookering the AI out of everyone good, ended up winning 75 games a year and five consecutive cups.
Madden valued 70 OVR receivers you could sign in FA as equal to half a star player. 2 cheap league minimum contracts and you could trade for almost anyone in the league.
This trade didn’t get less weird in the hour since I first saw it. I don’t get it, unless they know something we don’t about Quick health-wise.
I guess the price was right to block the Flames from acquiring
What if this is insurance for the playoffs plus a card whose rights can be traded to Vegas in exchange for ‘future considerations’ where the consideration is Vegas not claiming certain players in the Expansion Draft? :o
It’s definitely insurance for Quick assuming the Kings even make the playoffs. I don’t see Vegas trading for his rights for “future considerations” involving who not to select in the draft though. He’s a free agent at the end of the year to begin with (although plenty of trades for pending free agents do happen). Vegas holds most of the cards in this scenario though because there are plenty of decent goaltenders who will likely be exposed, with the most notable being Matt Murray unless Pittsburgh can find someone to take Fleury/convince Fleury to waive his NMC.
Not sure about that. If anything the Kings have a former captain, with a huge contract, who they can attach Bishop too and dump on Vegas.