Dallas Stars: Ben Bishop + draft picks = perfect offseason
By Reid Hanson
Don’t look now but the Dallas Stars are having the perfect offseason. This week alone netted the team a franchise netminder and a first round draft pick…
This has been a good offseason for the idle Dallas Stars franchise. In a matter of days the Dallas Stars have catapulted from bottom of the NHL to a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.
Roughly one day ago the Dallas Stars sent a fourth round pick to the Los Angeles Kings for their soon-to-be free agent goaltender, Ben Bishop. Ben Bishop, expected to be the prize of free agency, now comes to Dallas intent on getting a deal done.
The Dallas Stars will have exclusive negotiating rights until July 1st, the beginning of free agency. While the acquisition doesn’t guarantee anything beyond that date, it signals intent on both sides to get a deal done. It’s likely both sides are operating in the same contractual ball park and now it’s only a matter of finding common ground.
"“I don’t want to get ahead of myself because I know we have the negotiating process to go through, but I’m excited,” Bishop said after the trade."
The move will likely be met with some scrutiny around Dallas since Ben Bishop is 30-years-old and likely to be looking for an enormous deal. But it’s hard to deny goaltender is the Stars biggest weakness and adding the 6’7” hyper-athletic netminder makes the Stars instant contenders.
Bishop comes to Dallas with a career goals against average of 2.23 and a .919 save percentage. Best yet, he’s displayed ability to step up in the postseason with a 21-13 playoff record, 2.08 playoff goals against average, and .926 playoff save percentage. The move could be key to a long playoff run in the very near future.
More from Dallas Stars
- Dallas Stars swing long odds in their favor heading into Game 6
- The Dallas Stars, Bon Jovi, and a showdown with Las Vegas (prediction)
- Dallas Stars ‘Kraken skulls’ and moving on to the Conference Final
- Dallas Stars overcoming injuries has been critical in the postseason
- Dallas Stars postseason breakdown: Jason Robertson
Draft Picks
As if that wasn’t good enough news, the Stars stand to improve significantly in the long-term as well. Already armed with the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming draft, the Stars just added a second first rounder courtesy of the Anaheim Ducks. By making the Western Conference Finals, the conditional second rounder that was heading Dallas’ way turns into a first rounder.
Now Dallas has three picks within the top-40 and stands to significantly upgrade their system in a single draft.
What’s Next?
The offseason has barely begun and the Dallas Stars can already be considered legitimate playoff contenders. The next step is likely cutting dead weight in the net. The Stars will now expose both Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi in the upcoming expansion draft.
Next: Hitchcock 2.0 Will Yield Immediate Results
Whether or not either gets picked up is unknown but it’s possible the Stars will buyout one (ideally Niemi) either way. The move would save money and allow the Dallas Stars to spend elsewhere in free agency. Regardless of how it goes down in net, the Stars are expected to be players in free agency and have money on hand to get deals done.