NHL Rumors: Ben Bishop, LA Kings

Will the Tampa Bay Lightning trade Ben Bishop?

TSN: Ben Bishop, 29, got a clue at the NHL entry draft last June when a potential trade with the Calgary Flames fell through because he couldn’t come to terms on a contract extension with the Flames. GM Steve Yzerman has 3 options on what to do with Bishop:

1. If a team makes a good enough offer ahead of the March 1 NHL trade deadline, take the asset(s) it nets.
2.  Keep Bishop for the rest of the season for another, all-hands-on-deck run at the Stanley Cup. If he walks away for nothing in free agency, so be it. The cap space the Lightning would earn next July would still be valuable considering that Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Drouin all will need new deals.
3.  If Bishop plays out of his mind en route to a Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup championship, maybe the Lightning will try sign him after all.

Seven goalies the LA Kings could target

Sportsnet: Seven goalies the Los Angeles Kings could target in a trade to bolster their injury-ravaged goaltending. The Kings do have salary cap issues, so unless they trade a salary, the most likely trade candidate will be a goalie with little salary.

1. Ondrej Pavelec, Winnipeg Jets
2. Jonathan Bernier, Anaheim Ducks
3. Reto Berra, Florida Panthers
4. Steve Mason, Philadelphia Flyers
5. Michal Neuvirth, Philadelphia Flyers
6. Mike Condon, Pittsburgh Penguins
7. Thomas Greiss, New York Islanders