According to press releases from both teams, the Los Angeles Kings have acquired goaltender Ben Bishop from the Tampa Bay Lightning, along with a 2017 fifth-round pick, in exchange for goaltender Peter Budaj, defenseman prospect Erik Cernak, a 2017 seventh-round pick, and a conditional 2017 pick.
Welcome to LA @Benbishop30! https://t.co/Y8rIGqSeWm
— x – LA Kings (@LAKings) February 26, 2017
Bishop, 30, is now on to his fourth NHL team after originally breaking into the league with the St. Louis Blues, who selected him in the third-round of the 2005 NHL Draft. Bishop was dealt to the Ottawa Senators in 2012, before being traded after just one season to the Lightning.
Over his seven-year career, Bishop owns a .919 save percentage and 2.32 goals against average, but has regressed this year, going 16-12-3 with a .911 save percentage and 2.55 goals against average.
Ultimately, Bishop lost the starting job to Andrei Vasilevskiy, and will now back up the recently activated Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles, before becoming a free agent at the end of the year.
Budaj, 34, has been one of the feel good stories of the year, after breaking through to claim the starting goalie role in Los Angeles after injuries to Jonathan Quick and Jeff Zatkoff. Budaj was a second-round pick in the 2001 NHL Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, where he spent six seasons, before moving on to the Montreal Canadiens, where he spent another four seasons.
Budaj ended up in obscurity in the AHL, but got his career back on track the past two seasons with the Kings. This season, he had a record of 27-20-3, a .917 save percentage, and 2.12 goals against average. Budaj will now backup Vasilevskiy in Tampa Bay and be in position for a lucrative contract this offseason.
Finally, Cernak, 19, was a second-round pick by the Kings in the 2015 NHL Draft, who has yet to join the AHL’s Ontario Reign. Cernak is a 6-foot-3 defenseman from Slovakia, who has played in 41 games this season with the Erie Otters of the OHL. He has three goals and 14 assists this season with the Otters and could join the Syracuse Crunch next season if all goes according to plan.
The Kings now have one of the best goalie tandems in hockey, and have terrific insurance for Jonathan Quick, while also upgrading to a fifth round pick in 2017. The Lightning, however, cash in on the pending free agent in Bishop, while bringing in a prized defenseman prospect and a talented backup.
They could continue to sell now, since they are seven points out of the postseason.
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