Steve Yzerman Explains Ben Bishop Trade
Yesterday a shockwave went through the NHL world when the Tampa Bay Lightning decided to trade pending free agent netminder Ben Bishop to the Los Angeles Kings. Almost no one understood it at the time, as the Kings had just gotten Jonathan Quick back from injured reserve and looked set in net. Lightning GM Steve Yzerman met with the media today and explained a few things about the trade and where his franchise goes from here (video link via TSN).
I did talk to a team in the league about [Bishop] prior to the draft last year, but for whatever reason that didn’t come to fruition.
The biggest reason to make the move now, ultimately is that we’re concerned with the salary cap for next year. With what we have in some performance bonuses for our younger players we felt we’re going to be squeezed next year with the cap. We felt the need to do this right now to give ourselves as much cap space [as possible] for next year.
It’s true, the Lightning do have bonuses that will kick in this season and should they not have the cap room to pay them, would be penalized next season. By trading Bishop they have opened up a good amount in order to not have any carry over to next year, when they’ll have to re-sign Jonathan Drouin, Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson among others.
While it had been speculated that as many as five teams could have had interest in Bishop to help them down the stretch and into the playoffs, Yzerman relates that the appetite wasn’t quite so ravenous around the league.
When I decided to get the deal done yesterday, that was the deal that made the most sense and to be honest with you was the only option I had. My options were to make this deal with LA or to sit tight and go through with the season.
If that’s true and there was no interest from anywhere else in the league, then Yzerman did well to clear the cap space and at least receive a prospect in the form of Erik Cernak. While Bishop would have undoubtedly helped the Lightning in their playoff push—one that he assures is still the goal of the team this season—the cost of the bonus penalties on the squad going forward would have been far greater than his impact. In getting Budaj in return, he at least addressed the issue of insurance for a Andrei Vasilevskiy injury should the team make it to the post-season.
Yzerman also spoke about Steven Stamkos and his potential return this year. Stamkos has been out November 15th and has recently begun skating again on his own. Yzerman admits that it’s not a guarantee, but that he’s progressing well. A healthy Stamkos would definitely give the team a boost as they sit just six points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Lightning Trade Ben Bishop To Kings
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.
Kings Activate Quick, Nolan From IR
Two-time Stanley Cup winning goalie Jonathan Quick has been activated from LTIR by the Los Angeles Kings, as first reported by TSN’s Frank Seravalli, and is scheduled to make his first appearance in more than four months this afternoon as the team prepares to play host to the Anaheim Ducks. Quick has been sidelined due to a groin injury suffered in the first period of the 2016-17 season opener. It’s hoped the return of the veteran netminder will help propel the Kings, currently five points behind Nashville for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, back into a postseason slot.
The Kings have relied primarily on veteran backup backstop Peter Budaj with Quick sidelined. Budaj has more than held his own in 51 starts, tying his career high in Save % with a 0.917 mark and posting a career-best 2.12 GAA. He also leads the league in both shutouts (7) and losses (20).
It’s hard to fault the goaltending for the team’s struggles given Budaj’s strong performance but Quick’s return will certainly provide a boost for the Kings down the stretch. Additionally, any idea the Kings may have entertained about acquiring a veteran backstop at the trade deadline can be shelved and the club can instead focus their efforts and resources on upgrading other areas of the roster.
In addition to Quick, forward Jordan Nolan was also activated from IR by the team, according to Helene Elliot of the LA Times. Nolan, who has missed the last three weeks due to a lower-body injury, has four goals and eight points in 41 contests this season. While not much of an offensive threat, the gritty pivot adds size and physicality to the team’s fourth line.
With Quick’s return, the Kings have reassigned Jeff Zatkoff to Ontario of the AHL. Zatkoff, who cleared waivers earlier this week, has struggled between the pipes for L.A., winning just two of eight starts and compiling a Save % of just 0.879 and a GAA of nearly three.
Snapshots: Miller, Chayka, Dorion
Ryan Miller was the topic on the mind of Pierre LeBrun of ESPN yesterday, when he discussed the possibility of the goaltender waiving his no-trade clause to move at the deadline. Today, Rick Dhaliwal of 1130 News in Vancouver reports that Miller’s agent Mike Liut will talk to his client about the possibilities this week, but that nothing is decided as of yet.
Miller has just five teams that he can be traded to without his permission, and with the news that the Los Angeles Kings will be soon getting Jonathan Quick back, the three we know of—Los Angeles, San Jose and Anaheim—don’t seem to need a goaltender. If he is acquired at the deadline it will likely be because he’s waived his clause to pursue another chance at the Stanley Cup.
- Ryan Kennedy of The Hockey News writes that John Chayka isn’t even close to finished after dealing Michael Stone earlier this week. He has so many assets that he could move at the deadline—like Radim Vrbata, Martin Hanzal and Shane Doan—that he’ll likely be one of the busiest GMs this week. Indeed, Chayka himself admitted today on Arizona Sports 98.7 (via Chris Nichols of FanRag Sports) that he’d had discussions on some big deals. The trio of rentals mentioned above are likely to move, but the Arizona GM could also move Anthony Duclair, Jamie McGinn or Tobias Rieder if he chooses to.
- We learned today that Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion had been getting calls on Curtis Lazar, but what did those deals look like? He joined TSN today (video link) and said that other teams have been trying to “fleece” him. Obviously teams are looking at his single point this season and thinking that they could get a former first-round pick at an all-time low value. Dorion for his part still believes he will be a very good NHL player, and it’s just an unfortunate set of circumstances this season.
Peter Budaj And The Comeback Kids
Peter Budaj was done. Finished. Washed-up. On his way out. Lost at sea.
Then, suddenly he wasn’t.
When Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff both sustained injuries within the first two weeks of the season, many believed the Kings would panic and overpay for a replacement netminder. Ben Bishop, Jimmy Howard, Marc-Andre Fleury were all names that were expected to be linked to the west-coast royalty, but nothing materialized. The team immediately said that they weren’t going to overpay for a goaltender when they weren’t sure how long Quick would be out, and believed their team was good enough to hold down a playoff spot until his return. What they didn’t expect, was that they would get all-star level goaltending from a guy who had never given it before, and who was rapidly approaching the back half of his thirties.
Peter Budaj made his first start for the Los Angels Kings this season on October 20th, and allowed three goals on 20 shots. Here we go, thought Kings’ fans who expected an .850 save percentage was about all they would get from a 34-year old journeyman. After all, Budaj had played in just one NHL game the last two seasons, and had a career .903 save percentage. Their season was lost unless they went out and got another goaltender, but how could they afford it?
And then, magic. Budaj would find another gear and lead the Kings to a 24-14-3 record while recording a .923 save percentage. His seven shutouts lead the league (ahead of some household names in Braden Holtby, Devan Dubnyk and Tuukka Rask) and he’s recorded a goals against average 0.7 less than his career average. In short, he’s been great.
Jonathan Quick Injury Update
Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick gets closer and closer to a return, reports LA Kings insider Jon Rosen. Quick took to the ice in full gear this morning for the first time since injuring his groin midway through the season opener. He’s spent the last four months recovering off-ice, respecting the injury and wary of progressing too fast. Kings GM Dean Lombardi has gone back and forth on a planned return date, at times stating early March or mid-February. Having Quick on ice in full equipment by February 1st is right on schedule, at least according to Kings coach Darryl Sutter.
Quick’s injury initially spelled doom for the Kings as the organization had no viable backup ready to take the reins. They had signed former Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Jeff Zatkoff—who was relegated in Pittsburgh to a third-string role after Matt Murray‘s surprise success—but his play quickly indicated that he was not ready for the starting role.
Luckily for the Kings however, veteran Peter Budaj stepped up and manned the crease admirably. Budaj is putting up the best numbers of his career this season. In 44 games Budaj is 24-14-3 with a .922 SV% , a 2.01 GAA, and 6 shutouts. Not bad for a goaltender on the brink of retirement. Budaj’s performance has kept the Kings in playoff contention, and Quick’s return could solidify its ticket down the stretch.
Budaj’s strong performance also allowed Quick to rehabilitate properly and not rush back to action too soon. Groin injuries are incredibly tricky for goaltenders as they rely heavily on lateral side to side movement. Ensuring that Quick is 100% before starting him significantly reduces the chances of him relapsing.
Injury Updates: Kulikov, Quick, Kruger, Wilson, Islanders
The Sabres are set to welcome back defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to the lineup tonight from a back injury, notes John Vogl of The Buffalo News. He has been out of the lineup since late December after the symptoms from his preseason back ailment resurfaced.
Buffalo traded for Kulikov back at the draft in the hopes that he would help stabilize their defense corps but he has only seen action in 20 games this season, recording just one assist with a -10 rating. With the Sabres also missing Josh Gorges (hip) and Jake McCabe (shoulder) on the back end, he’ll be a welcome addition to their lineup.
As a pending unrestricted free agent, a strong next month could go a long way towards restoring his potential value on the market, not to mention giving the Sabres a quality trade asset if they’re out of the playoff picture by then.
More injury notes from around the NHL:
- Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick’s return date has been pushed back again, reports Jon Rosen of LA Kings Insider. While the team was hoping he’d be able to return by mid-February, GM Dean Lombardi told reporters that the earliest that he could get back into the lineup is early March. Quick has yet to start skating since injuring his groin in the opening period of the season.
- The Blackhawks announced that they have activated center Marcus Kruger off injured reserve. He suffered a hand injury in late December and has missed the last ten games as a result. The 26 year old has two goals and eight assists in 39 games this year while averaging just over 14 minutes of ice time per game.
- Nashville has activated left winger Colin Wilson off IR, Adam Vingan of The Tennessean notes via Twitter. He has missed the last eight games due to a lower body injury. Wilson, who has six goals and 11 helpers in 38 contests this season, is expected to play tonight alongside Mike Fisher and Craig Smith, adds Thomas Willis of the Preds’ team website (Twitter link).
- Islanders left winger Andrew Ladd is set to return to the lineup tonight after missing the last four games with an upper body, notes Cory Wright of the Islanders’ team site. The veteran has struggled mightily in his first season in New York with just 12 points in 41 games, nowhere near the production the team was expecting when they gave him a seven year, $38.5MM contract this offseason. He’ll take the place of rookie Anthony Beauvillier who is dealing with a lower body issue after blocking a shot over the weekend.
Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Sixth Overall Pick
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.
We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?
Here are the results of our redraft so far:
1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
8th Overall: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose Sharks)
9th Overall: Ben Bishop (Ottawa Senators)
10th Overall: James Neal (Vancouver Canucks)
11th Overall: T.J. Oshie (Los Angeles Kings)
12th Overall: Keith Yandle (New York Rangers)
13th Overall: Paul Stastny (Buffalo Sabres)
14th Overall: Marc Staal (Washington Capitals)
15th Overall: Patric Hornqvist (New York Islanders)
16th Overall: Niklas Hjalmarsson (Atlanta Thrashers)
17th Overall: Anton Stralman (Phoenix Coyotes)
18th Overall: Jack Johnson (Nashville Predators)
19th Overall: Matt Niskanen (Detroit Red Wings)
20th Overall: Justin Abdelkader (Florida Panthers)
21st Overall: Martin Hanzal (Toronto Maple Leafs)
22nd Overall: Andrew Cogliano (Boston Bruins)
23rd Overall: Kris Russell (New Jersey Devils)
24th Overall: Darren Helm (St. Louis Blues)
25th Overall: Cody Franson (Edmonton Oilers)
Now we move forward to the 26th pick, which was held by the Calgary Flames.
To recap how this works:
- We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
- The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.
Back in 2005, the Flames took defenseman Matt Pelech from the Sarnia Sting. Since being drafted, Pelech played a total of 13 games in the NHL, tallying four points (1-3). Of those 13 games, Pelech spent five with the Flames and the other eight with San Jose. During the 2013-14 season, Pelech spent time in the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies after playing for both San Jose and its AHL affiliate Worcester. A season later, Pelech recorded 39 games with the Rochester Americans. Last season, Pelech appeared in 49 games for the Schwenningen Wild Wings in the DEL (Germany) and has played the current season with Graz EC in the Austrian league.
With the 26th pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft, who should the Flames select? Cast your vote below! Mobile users, you can vote here!
With the 26th overall pick, the Calgary Flames select...
-
Benoit Pouliot 28% (144)
-
Devin Setoguchi 20% (103)
-
Vladimir Sobotka 16% (80)
-
Mason Raymond 9% (44)
-
Steve Downie 8% (39)
-
Sergei Kostitsyn 7% (34)
-
Jakub Kindl 6% (30)
-
Nathan Gerbe 3% (14)
-
Jared Boll 2% (11)
-
Jack Skille 2% (9)
-
Gilbert Brule 1% (7)
Total votes: 515
Pacific Division Snapshots: Kings, Meier, Coyotes
Like many teams in the league, the Los Angeles Kings have battled their fair share of injuries. Star sniper Marian Gaborik has appeared in just nine games this season and has posted just one goal and four points. Anze Kopitar, one of the league’s top, two-way centers has missed some time. And perhaps most importantly, Jonathan Quick has been out since season’s first game, forcing the team to rely on a combination of Jeff Zatkoff and Peter Budaj to hold down the fort until he returns. It’s not an ideal situation but the Kings have hung tough in the standings, as Helene Elliott of the Los Angeles Times writes, and currently hold one of two wild card slots in the Western Conference.
Because of injuries to Zatkoff, it’s been Budaj that has seen most of the action between the pipes for L.A. Originally signed to be the team’s third goalie, Budaj has posted a career-best 2.17 GAA while winning 14 of his 26 starts. While he’s had his ups and downs, Budaj has been good enough most nights to keep the Kings in games.
As Elliott notes, the team has managed to stay afloat thanks in large part to their work ethic. Now, the Kings are close to full health, though Quick is still expected to be out until February, and are just five points behind the San Jose Sharks for first place in the Pacific Division with one game in hand. Assuming Budaj can continue to play adequately enough, or the team finds a better stopgap option, and Gaborik can rediscover his scoring touch, the Kings have a good chance to again qualify for the postseason. Once there, anything can happen.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division:
- Highly-touted rookie Timo Meier made his debut with the San Jose Sharks last season and by all accounts it was a huge success, as Curtis Pashelka of the Mercury News recounts. Meier scored his first career NHL goal on his first shot last night and the Sharks erupted for three goals in the first period of their 4 – 2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Meier would finish with three shots on net in just more than 10 minutes of ice time. That’s exactly the type of spark the Sharks were hoping for when calling up the 2015 first-round draft pick. Meier’s insertion into the lineup pushed veteran forward Joel Ward to the press box last night and while it’s certain the first-year pro will remain in the San Jose lineup for the immediate future, it’s less clear how that fact will impact the rest of the Sharks forward group. As long as Meier produces, DeBoer will undoubtedly find a way to mix and match his forwards.
- Desperate for help up the middle, the Arizona Coyotes recently acquired Peter Holland via trade from Toronto and added Josh Jooris off of waivers from the New York Rangers. Veteran center Brad Richardson is out indefinitely with multiple fractures in his right leg while rookie Dylan Strome failed to find consistency at the NHL level; two factors which created a need for Arizona. While it’s only a small sample, just two appearances for each player, the additions are already paying off for Arizona, writes Sarah McLellan of The Arizona Republic. Holland tallied two helpers in his Coyotes debut and scored the shootout winner in his return to Toronto. Again, it’s only to games but Holland’s play has helped the team to their first winning streak since late November; a stretch which saw the Coyotes earn just five of a possible 16 standings points.
Jonathan Quick Out Until Mid-February, Kings Not Willing To Overpay For Goaltender
12:45pm: Lombardi is now telling Elliott that he misspoke today and though the worst case is still March, he actually expects Quick back in mid-February. While this lines up closer to what Sutter said on Monday, it still is a long-time for Quick to be sidelined.
11:45pm: The continuing saga of Jonathan Quick got another chapter today, as Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi told Helene Elliott of the LA Times that he’d be out until March. This comes after head coach Darryl Sutter said just two days ago that it’d be a month before the next step was even revealed.
Lombardi also told Elliott that he’s “not willing to throw the kitchen sink” at his goaltending situation, meaning that he doesn’t want to part with important assets to fix it. The team has been riding Peter Budaj this season to mixed success, as the 34-year old started hot but has struggled recently. Last night Budaj allowed four goals on 22 shots, marking four out of five games where he’s recorded a save percentage under .900. Jeff Zatkoff, brought in this offseason to be the backup, has struggled with injury and ineffectiveness himself, carrying an .882 save percentage through Wednesday.
The Kings, 14-12-2, are sitting fifth in the Pacific Division just outside a wild card spot but are in danger of slipping further and further should they not fix their goaltending situation. If Budaj can get back to the level he started the season at, perhaps the team would not need to find a solution outside the organization.
While there are talented options on the trade market – namely, Ben Bishop and Jimmy Howard – the Kings would have to take on a large amount of salary or give up substantial assets to get them. Though the team has a good amount of cap space currently due to Quick’s designation on LTIR, the team would be left unable to make any additional moves at the deadline for a playoff run, or in trouble should Quick make a return any earlier than expected.
A lesser option – like Ondrej Pavelec or Jonathan Bernier – comes with substantial risks as well and may not be any more effective than the Budaj-Zatkoff duo in the long run. For the Kings, it’s likely a game of trying to improve the team in front of them than spending assets for an answer in net.