Making sense of Sunday's trade flurry in the NHL

Two of the biggest names available on the trade market were dealt in the space of no more than an hour Sunday, with Ben Bishop heading to Los Angeles to form an intriguing tandem with Jonathan Quick, and the Minnesota Wild stating their intent with the acquisition of hulking center Martin Hanzal.

Here are a few thoughts on the deals involving potential first-round combatants:

Kings crown Bishop on the cheap

It's remarkable how things turned out.

Though Bishop finished behind Braden Holtby on the Vezina Trophy ballot, the Lightning had a netminder who was, in many respects, the top performer at his position as a trade chip for summer dealings.

With the Flames, Leafs, and Stars in the market for help in net, it seemed certain Steve Yzerman would whip up the sort of return that would put his ultra-talented team over the top.

Fast-forward a few months, and after his trade value dipped due to diminished performance and his looming unrestricted free agency, and Bishop is headed to the Kings for a relatively modest return in a deal that when analyzed with cursory review, doesn't make immediate sense for either team involved.

Related: Lightning trade Bishop to Kings for Budaj, Cernak, picks

Bishop's acquisition comes a little over 24 hours after Jonathan Quick returned from a four-month stint on the shelf with a groin injury. The Kings had their two-time Stanley Cup champion back in net for the stretch run, substituting for the replacement-level starter summoned from the minor leagues.

But the question of timing goes beyond the outward redundancy of having two No. 1 netminders. If the Kings coveted Bishop all along, why didn't they trade for him months ago?

Well, there are few reasons.

As mentioned, Bishop's market value has continued to drop, reaching a point the Kings felt comfortable matching. And second, with appropriate time to appraise his team, Dean Lombardi was evidently confident enough to make the determination that the Kings can make a run, and jumped at a move that should benefit them down the stretch.

With 21 games remaining, including four sets of back-to-backs, the Kings will average a game every other night until the end of the season. It's a workload that would have to be considered a sizable burden for a goaltender on the mend from a serious groin injury.

With Bishop, Los Angeles will have fresh, and potentially dominant goaltending throughout its drive to the postseason.

It's a worthwhile gamble, even if the Lombardi's intentions are ultimately a little misguided. Because the trade makes you wonder about what the Bolts could have had, not what the Kings gave up.

Wild stomach hefty price tag on Hanzal

Yes, it's a weak draft. Yes, the Western Conference is there for the taking. And sure, we suppose he could sign an extension. But despite whatever spin is put on the Martin Hanzal deal, the Minnesota Wild did give up an awful lot for a center who has never scored 20 goals, and who tops out at 41 points.

Case in point:

Related: Coyotes trade Hanzal to Wild for 3 draft picks

Hanzal will slot behind Mikko Koivu and Eric Staal (acquired by the Rangers at the deadline last season for considerably less, by the way) to form a forbidding pivot trio, and round out and properly disperse one of the NHL's most efficient top-nine forward groupings. There's not much debate: Hanzal improves the Wild's chances of making right by what has been a dominant season to date.

Invariably, the cost will intensify the sting if the Wild crash out prematurely once again, but you can't fault a first-place team for acquiring the piece it believes completes a title winner.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)