Lightning trade Ben Bishop to Kings
The Tampa Bay Lightning have dealt netminder Ben Bishop to the Los Angeles Kings.
In exchange, the Lightning will receive defensive prospect Erik Cernak, veteran netminder Peter Budaj, a seventh-round draft pick, and a conditional selection in 2017 NHL Draft.
The Kings will receive a fifth-round pick with Bishop, and Tampa Bay will retain 20 percent of his salary to facilitate the deal.
Bishop's acquisition comes one day after Jonathan Quick returned to the Los Angeles crease after missing more than two-thirds of the season with a groin injury.
Budaj buoyed the Kings in the Western Conference chase throughout Quick's absence, recording 27 wins and seven shutouts in 51 starts. His .917 save percentage in spot relief was directly in line with the save rate Quick's had over the previous three seasons.
Bishop's value has diminished after his brilliant 2015-16 campaign, in which he led the NHL in goals-against average. He has stopped pucks at a .911 clip in 31 appearances, and has now officially been supplanted by Andrei Vasilevskiy.
With Bishop and Quick working in tandem down the stretch, the Kings should, at least in theory, maintain a certain performance standard in goal each night as they navigate a busy schedule down the stretch.
Los Angeles has more than $10 million tied up in its goaltenders, even with Tampa Bay taking on a portion of Bishop's salary.