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

[Dallasman]

Bishops last deal was only two years. Why he didn't want longer contract then? Maybe he is ready to sign shorter contract now too?

Wanted to test the UFA market I'd imagine.

 

[The Macho King]

Bishops last deal was only two years. Why he didn't want longer contract then? Maybe he is ready to sign shorter contract now too?

We had just drafted Vasi and it was after Bishops first good year, so it was a bit of a show me and a bit of a placeholder.

 

[Benneguin]

Not sure how I feel about this.

Seems awfully reminiscent of the Niemi pickup...

In the 3 seasons before Niemi came here he played 168 games with a .918 Save Percentage.

In the 4 seasons prior to Bishop coming here, he's played 162 games with a .918 Save Percentage.

Both came here at about the same age...Good thing is that Bishop won't get any smaller with age

Probably looking at similar contracts here as well.

It's a meh move when viewed by itself. Hopefully if Hitch can make the team more defensively responsible it might work out. Nill seems to be selling Bishop hard, saying he's been an elite goalie for 6, 7, 8 years. He's an older goalie who has only put up two very good seasons and one vezina caliber season. How that translates to 8 years in Nill's eyes I don't know.

 

[Magic Mittens]

It's a meh move when viewed by itself. Hopefully if Hitch can make the team more defensively responsible it might work out. Nill seems to be selling Bishop hard, saying he's been an elite goalie for 6, 7, 8 years. He's an older goalie who has only put up two very good seasons and one vezina caliber season. How that translates to 8 years in Nill's eyes I don't know.

Just to be fair, people keep saying he's older, he's 10 months older then Price. So is Price an older goalie now too?

Bishop plays best in big games and that's what we need

 

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

Inexcusable was returning to camp with the same two terrible goalies. There were other options beyond trading for two guys.

Hmm, what would those have been? Not bringing up prospects for sure. None to bring up.

And practically speaking, not on the UFA market, with two goalies already under contract, spending the most of any team in the league. Plus, our two goalies were untradeable.

Sometimes, you make a bad decision, and you just have to live with it. Most teams do have over paid under performing players. It just worked out that our two were goalies.

 

[Benneguin]

Just to be fair, people keep saying he's older, he's 10 months older then Price. So is Price an older goalie now too?

Bishop plays best in big games and that's what we need

I brought it up in the context of his short resume. I might feel better about the prospects of Bishop if he was brought in as the final piece to win right now, but as it stands today that's not the case. Far from it.

 

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

The Stars could bounce back quickly, not a guarantee, but nothing is. It only takes a few key player changes on a team like this, plus the fresh start of a new coach, if all moves work out, which they usually don't.

Just how good does Bishop have to be under Hitch's system? Stars won with a 2.75 GAA two years ago. Bishop has a career 2.23 and even on his last year, was lower at 2.5GAA. Half a goal a game better should offset the Stars probable drop off in goal scoring, from 3.23 down to 2.71 last year. Assume last year's stats and we are still a quarter goal to the good, rather than half a goal to the good the year before.

So, yeah, if he gets more than $6M, we will be paying more for goaltending per goal against than most, but it might be the right fit. Or, he could return to form and it will be a bargain, at least for a few years.

He is 31 and might last to 35 at present form. His style isn't really reliant on athletics as Turco, etc.

But, who knows. Overall, I am happy with the trade, because we could find more warts or questions on all the others who were potentially available. And, we couldn't trade for Grubauer until the other day, and might have missed out, or he might not have wanted to come here. BB, with his Frisco ties, apparently did, making him the logical choice.

Absolutely perfect? No, but practically speaking, the best choice available, just like Kari was Niewy's best choice at that time.....

 

[Jaynki]

Accordin to Pierre LeBrun, Bishop is close to signing with Dallas.

As a Montreal Fans, i always taught Bishop was an awesome goaltender for tampa bay and a surefire top 10 in this league. (He's even top 5 in my opinion)

Very good signing for Dallas.

Seguin, Benn, Bishop, Klingberg, that's quite the core !!!

 

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

Said deal might be as early as today, so once again this off season, Stars will be newsmakers. I like it!

Maybe Nill will go full Nill in the deal making mode and pull off a few more great trades or UFA to re-energize the team and fan base.

Probably will be a lull until after the expansion draft. Why sign someone you just have to protect?

 

[BigG44]

Probably will be a lull until after the expansion draft. Why sign someone you just have to protect?

Maybe on free agents, but trades are only going to ramp up. This will be the busiest trade time during the playoffs we've seen. At least that's what most people, including Nill, are predicting.

No one expects teams to wait until after the Stanley Cup is awarded in that short window before the expansion draft to get their maneuvering done.

 

[BigG44]

I don't think you can call this a rumor. Is it a hint?

 

[Satan]

I don't think you can call this a rumor. Is it a hint?

6 yrs is not something we should be happy with, no matter what the $ amount is.

 

[BigG44]

6 yrs is not something we should be happy with, no matter what the $ amount is.

Assuming this happens, the idea is that you're saving $1 to $1.5 million on the cap by probably adding 1 to 2 years of term.

It's a tough call because $6 for 4 does fill a little safer than 6 years term. Neither is ideal, but it is unrestricted free agency.

Let's just say the number is barely below $5. If he's good for 4 years, a buyout of the final 2 would create about $1.65 million of dead space for 4 years. That said, there's no way this won't be front loaded so 2 of those years will be higher.

 

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

Maybe on free agents, but trades are only going to ramp up. This will be the busiest trade time during the playoffs we've seen. At least that's what most people, including Nill, are predicting.

No one expects teams to wait until after the Stanley Cup is awarded in that short window before the expansion draft to get their maneuvering done.

True dat, but still I wonder how many teams have such little talent to expose that they could take on one more unprotected asset? AZ, BUF, and a few others. I haven't really studied it, but it would have to be like a Jordie trade, a lesser D (IMHO) and pick/protected prospect to get something for someone you fear will be selected.

After Jordie, we have one of Roussell. Eakin, and Ritchie that we worry about, maybe Nuke, Hammer and a few others depending.

All NHL trades are tricky, have to find right match. Those prompted by expansion draft are no less so, IMHO. If a top ten goalie like Bishop nets a 4th rounder, yes, it gets easier, but by no means easy.

 

[BigG44]

It's fun to look at. Cap Friendly's website is the easiest since you can autofill. It's not amazing talent, but there are some interesting names.

 

[BigG44]

So Bob Sturm appears to be right. Friedman is reporting it, and Heika is saying he's hearing the same thing.

 

[Deebo]

 

[Hockey Dad]

Freedman reporting 6 years and avg just under 5 a year

 

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

Sounds like they are talking an AAV of $4.75 over 6 years, for $28.5M. Yeah, better than 4 years at 6M for 24 M, no?

I'm okay with it. He obviously wants long term security and pay check, as he asked for 6 years before, from the start. Probably one more year than anyone would give him on their own, maybe 2, but we give him what he wants, and we get a lower price.

If extra years have lesser actual pay, he can still serve as backup if he declines.

If they buy him out at any point, 2/3 of $4.75 is less than 2/3 of $6M.

 

[BigG44]

I enjoyed this tweet a bit too much

 

[Dallasman]

Not upset by any part of this deal at all.

Term and money are ok by me.

 

[93Crazed101]

Got me a little nervous, but it could go well.

 

[FirstRowUpperDeck]

Yes, might not go well, but really, isn't this the safest deal Nill could have made? And the AAV is not bad either. Let's channel Eddie Belfour.

Kari Lehtonen signed a five-year $29.5 million contract extension with the Dallas Stars in Sept 2012. Same price, one more year term, five years later. Overall, not bad. And when Niemi and Darling get $4.5M, this is a good price for a very good goalie.

 

[northstars]

Ben Bishop contract details: $7 M, $6.5 M, $5.5 M, $3.5 M, $3.5 M, $3.5 M; and NMC throughout, modified NTC last 3 years
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 12, 2017

 

[BeaverSports]

I don't mind the deal, it's cap-friendly with the AAV and Bishop is still fairly young. If he didn't have some injury problems in Tampa, everyone would think this was a steal. I think he can be a top goaltender.

Now that he's signed, Nill can be more aggressive in trying to move out the other goaltenders. I wonder if Vegas would be interested in a deal where Dallas gives them another nice piece or two - say an Eakin and Oleksiak - to pick one of our goalies. I wouldn't mind moving Lehtonen's cap hit and still having the option to buy out Niemi.

Re-signing Justin Peters as a back-up wouldn't be a horrible move if they could shed both contracts, or maybe there's another up-and-coming guy out there who could be a back-up. You'd give yourself a lot of cap flexibility to fix holes up front and on defence with a move like that.