The Calgary Flames need an upgrade in goal this offseason, and UFA Ben Bishop is the best option available to take this team to the next level.
Having 12 different players score double-digit goals wasn’t enough for the Calgary Flames in 2016-17. They weren’t able to get past the first round of the postseason. And they couldn’t find any way to shake off their long-time kryptonite, the Anaheim Ducks.
The Flames promising season ended with a four-game sweep (in rather easy fashion), at the hands of the Ducks. A large reason for that was the struggles of goalie Brian Elliott. He posted just a woeful .880 save percentage and alarming 3.89 goals against average.
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Elliott is set to become an unrestricted free agent this off-season. The Flames have the easy choice of letting him walk and test the market on July 1st. But Calgary still needs to find a quality number one starter, and Ben Bishop is hands down the best option available.
Bishop, whom the Tampa Bay Lightning traded to the Los Angeles Kings at the trade deadline, is set to become an unrestricted free agent. If his track record is an indication of anything, Bishop is the goalie capable of getting Calgary to the top of the Western Conference.
The 6-foot-7 netminder won 30-plus games each year from 2013-14 to 2015-16. He owns a career .919 save percentage and 2.32 goals against average. His record also speaks for itself: 148-80-25.
According to Joe Smith from the Tampa Bay Times, the Flames nearly acquired Bishop last year. The Flames were reportedly discussing a contract extension with Bishop, but he filled in the rest of the story:
"“It looked like for a little bit it was going to happen…At kind of the last minute (the Flames) went out and got Elliott. It was close, but there was never… It wasn’t that close, obviously.”"
So the Flames wanted Bishop last year, and he claims it was “close”. It’s pretty clear that there is interest among both parties to put the tallest NHL goalie ever in a Flames uniform.
Some may suggest the Flames should take a look at Marc-Andre Fleury, whom the Pittsburgh Penguins will surely try to deal so they can keep the cheaper and younger Matt Murray long-term. Keep in mind Pittsburgh needs to resolve that as soon as possible so that Murray isn’t exposed in the Vegas expansion draft.
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But Fleury’s playoff performances have been iffy. And his contract carries two more years at $5.75 million cap hits, according to CapFriendly.com. The Flames are better off going with Bishop, who owns a 21-13 record, .927 save percentage and 2.09 goals against average in the playoffs.
The Flames could also look at Scott Darling, the Chicago Blackhawks backup goalie who is sure to find a starting gig in the offseason. But how many goalies have looked good under this Chicago Blackhawks powerhouse over the years? Antti Niemi, Marty Turco, Antti Raanta and Corey Crawford are among them.
Darling hasn’t played more than 32 games in a season, and it’s obvious that plenty of his success stems from the stars in front of him.
Next: How will the upcoming offseason unfold for the team?
So looking at the Flames options in goal, it comes down to Elliot, Bishop, Fleury and Darling. Bishop is the best between those four. If the Calgary Flames are serious about reaching Stanley Cup contention, then they should contact Ben Bishop and get a deal done when free agency begins.