Confirmed with Link: [LAK/DAL] Ben Bishop UFA Rights - Signs 6 years / $29.5 million

[BigG44]

Mike Heika is reporting Dallas traded for the rights to UFA Ben Bishop from the LA Kings for a 2017 4th round pick (MTL Pick).

Click to read more...

 

[usefulfiction]

Mike Heika is reporting Dallas traded for the rights to UFA Ben Bishop from the LA Kings for a 4th round pick.

Shocked the price was less than Darling.

 

[LT]

Not technically confirmed yet, but I doubt Heika's wrong.

Hoping we can sign him to a reasonable deal. Anything less than 4 years of term and I'm happy.

 

[BigG44]

Shocked the price was less than Darling.

Reasonable explanation would be Darling trade shrunk the market. Like I've said in previous threads, there might be 5 teams with an open goalie protection spot. Most of them probably wouldn't attract a guy like Bishop.

Dallas' only real competition IMO before the expansion draft was Calgary.

 

[LT]

Now it's confirmed via Stars' Twitter.

 

[Ghost of Kyiv]

Glad they're taking the position seriously, but I think the term he'll demand will likely petrify me. 4 years I'm fine with, longer than that, eek.

 

[BigG44]

Not technically confirmed yet, but I doubt Heika's wrong.

Hoping we can sign him to a reasonable deal. Anything less than 4 years of term and I'm happy.

 

[LT]

Now it's confirmed via Stars' Twitter.

Montreal's 4th is the one we acquired for Jordie.

4 years of term or less pls

 

[LT]

So what do we think the chances of him returning to his Vezina caliber form are? I don't really have a good feel for whether he regressed this past season or not.

 

[BigG44]

It really, really needs to be 4 years or less.

 

[BigG44]

This gives me quite a bit of peace honestly. I don't know that Bishop is the right guy, but I'm glad LA allowed Dallas to talk to him ahead of time. We already know that Nill isn't a fan of traditional UFA contracts. This makes me feel like the term will be within that 3 to 4 year window. Money could go up which is typically the case when term goes down though.

Still, I'd rather pay a little more and have less years.

 

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

Would love to know the entire backstory. Darling signed pretty quickly. Even though its not technically allowed for DAL to speak to Bishop to see if he is signable, maybe they did get a sense via working through LAK?

Or, maybe they have no guarantees, and that explains why his rights went for less than Darling. At times, he sounded as if he was pretty excited to go to Calgary, but maybe still is, or maybe put off by the last second negation of that trade.

Also, he did play for the Texas Tornado, so there may be some incentive to come back to DFW.

While worried about injuries and money/term, I would have to say BB is the best goalie available, and certainly a top 10, if not higher goalie in the NHL. He could very well be Hitchcock's second coming of Ed Belfour.

We still need to use our second pick (wherever that ends up) on Ottenger (sp?) the top ranked goalie in this draft, if he is available.

 

[Morry83]

Love it. Just sign him to something reasonable. And use the second first or the second rounder on Oettinger/Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen/etc.

 

[Satan]

So what do we think the chances of him returning to his Vezina caliber form are? I don't really have a good feel for whether he regressed this past season or not.

Very small.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

Glad they're taking the position seriously, but I think the term he'll demand will likely petrify me. 4 years I'm fine with, longer than that, eek.

Get ready for 6. I think 5 is rock bottom minimum.

Buy-out Lehtonen? Niemi is gone in 1 more year.

 

[BigG44]

Would love to know the entire backstory. Darling signed pretty quickly. Even though its not technically allowed for DAL to speak to Bishop to see if he is signable, maybe they did get a sense via working through LAK?

That's not entirely accurate. You can talk to a player when the other team gives permission, and that's what sounds like happened here.

Shapiro clarified a contract was not extended, but they know what he's wanting.

 

[Ghost of Kyiv]

Get ready for 6. I think 5 is rock bottom minimum.

Buy-out Lehtonen? Niemi is gone in 1 more year.

Lehtonen is likely staying for another year, Niemi likely bought out.

 

[93Crazed101]

Buy out Niemi. Lehtonen's also out in 1. Niemi is an easier buy out.

 

[BigG44]

Wow .... that's excellent news for Dallas. Unless he's not planning on signing with someone he thinks can be a playoff team .... there aren't really any other options for starters out there.

 

[Jaromir Blogger]

As someone who likes the Stars as a secondary team, I have mixed feelings about this. I'm a bit worried that Bishop may not regain his form - especially with a team like the Stars that can struggle defensively with a young blueline. I'm also concerned that he may sign to an overlong deal that will end up being an albatross just like Niemi's and Lehtonen's. But I do also think that there's a chance he'll regain his form and do a great job for Dallas. I just don't know (obviously). But either way, they have to get out from under one of the other bad deals.

 

[masinaLFC]

Can't say I'm super excited about this, but I'm glad we are doing something with the goaltending situation... if an aging IP goalie will be the answer only time will tell...

 

[BigG44]

I'd be prepared to at least spend $12.4 million in net next year.

Probably at minimum $6 for Bishop, $5.9 for Kari, and $1.5 for Niemi's buyout.

 

[Jack de la Hoya]

Wow .... that's excellent news for Dallas. Unless he's not planning on signing with someone he thinks can be a playoff team .... there aren't really any other options for starters out there.

Flyers, but otherwise, yeah--limited options.

 

[BigG44]

Forgot about the Flyers. I've been writing them off because I'd mostly been thinking about MAF landing spots, but Philadelphia would have likely been in the mix for Bishop as an UFA.

 

[BigG44]

I haven't looked at advanced goalie stats a ton, but MAF's and Bishop's seem similar this year.