The NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 1, but we got some early fireworks on Sunday.
The Los Angeles Kings acquired goalie Ben Bishop and a 2017 fifth-round pick from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for netminder Peter Budaj, defenseman Erik Cernak, a 2017 seventh-round pick and a conditional 2017 draft pick.
Both teams have announced the deal.
The trade comes at a confusing time for the Kings. Los Angeles’ starting goaltender Jonathan Quick returned Saturday after he had been out of action since Oct. 12 with a knee injury. Quick recorded 32 saves in the Kings’ 4-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Budaj, who’s now on his way to Tampa Bay, had been playing very well in relief of Quick. He’s posted a 27-20-3 record this season, and currently, has the third-best goals against average in the NHL at 2.12.
If anything, the Kings should have targeted scoring on the trading block. The team is currently in the bottom tier of the league in goals scored and power-play percentage. Bishop is a quality goaltender, but he obviously won’t fulfill the Kings’ scoring needs.
Los Angeles will hope that its now-formidable goalie tandem can guide the team to the postseason. The Kings are just slightly out of the playoff picture in the Western Conference, currently holding the ninth seed. The Lightning, on the other hand, have very bleak playoff aspirations as they are near the bottom in the Eastern Conference standings.
We have a feeling there will be many more trades around the league to come before the March 1 deadline.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports Images
