Tampa Bay Lightning (Ben Bishop/Andrei Vasilevskiy)
The pair of Ben Bishop and Andrei Vasilevskiy co-exist well together in Tampa Bay. It’s a situation that’ll work for the time being, until the pair need new contracts. The day will come when one of these netminders is traded, and it’s likely the Russian netminder.
It sounds like changes will be made to size of goaltender’s equipment sometime in the near future. This makes keeping Ben Bishop the obvious choice given his massive 6’7 frame. A former third round pick in 2005 by the Blues, Bishop bounced from St.Louis to Ottawa, before making his way to Tampa Bay. A late bloomer, Bishop secured his spot as Starter for the Lightning in 2013-14, and hasn’t looked back. At 29-years-old, Bishop is emerging as a top 10, arguably top five goaltender in the NHL.
A highly touted prospect from the KHL in his draft year, Tampa Bay was desperate for a goaltender when they took Vasilevskiy 19th overall in 2012. At 21, Vasilevsky has two years remaining on his entry-level contract ($925,000). He’ll likely be seeking a significant pay raise when his contract is up.
He’s spent his first two years of pro hockey bouncing between the AHL and NHL. In 2014-15, with AHL Syracuse, he went 14-6-5 with a 2.45GAA and .917 save percentage, including two shutouts. With Tampa Bay, Vasilevskiy was 7-5-1 with a 2.36GAA and .918 save percentage, including one shutout.
In 2015-16, with Syracuse, he’s 6-3-1 with a 2.03GAA and .932 save percentage, including one shutout. With Tampa Bay, he’s 8-4-0 with a 2.61GAA and .914 save percentage, including one shutout.
Much like the Anaheim situation, it would be unfair to one or both goalies to force the pair to co-exist long-term. It’s still unclear if Andrei Vasilevskiy can be a quality NHL starter, but there’s surely a lineup of teams willing to roll the dice on that possibility.
Solution: Trade Andrei Vasilevskiy (No Rush)
The Lightning have so much depth that trading Andrei Vasilevskiy is not a necessity. With depth at each position, GM Steve Yzerman can test the waters and continue to listen to offers until the right deal comes along. It’s almost a guarantee that Vasilevskiy is dealt at some point. The window is anywhere between now and the summer following the 2016-17 season.
Next: Winnipeg Jets