Ben Bishop signs six-year deal with Dallas Stars

The Dallas Stars have signed goaltender Ben Bishop to a six-year deal worth $29.5 million. 

Going into the 2017 offseason, everyone knew the Dallas Stars had to upgrade at goaltender. Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi formed one of the most overpriced and inefficient goaltending tandems in recent NHL history. The Stars had several options, but decided to be bold and go all-in by trading for the free agent rights of Ben Bishop. They’ve signed him to a six-year extension worth $29.5 million according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. This gives him just under a $5 million annual cap hit.

“Ben is an elite goaltender in this League and we’re thrilled to be adding him to our mix,” said Stars general manager Jim Nill, via NHL.com. “Ben’s commitment to what we are building in Dallas, and his passion for wanting to be a part of it, was evident during the negotiating process. We are excited to have him under contract for the next six seasons.”

Dallas had to be bold to get Bishop, but they got their man. It’s certainly a risky move, especially given his injury history, but it’s the right move for a team who wants to win now. Hiring Ken Hitchock to be their head coach ensured they’re pushing in all their chips to win a title.

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Bishop has a very reasonable cap hit, especially for someone with his track record of success. However, the Stars would be wise to not be done with their goaltending scenario. They have to get rid of one of their two incumbent goalies. The wisest choice would probably be Niemi. Lehtonen would be an expensive backup, but a very capable one. And with Bishop as your starter, having a reliable backup goalie is important.

Dallas made a move they might hate long-term but could easily have short-term benefits that outweigh the long-term issues.