The Ottawa Senators have traded goaltender Ben Bishop to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Cory Conacher and a 4th round draft pick.
Bishop has been rock solid in the Ottawa goal this season but with Anderson close to a return and Robin Lehner showing he is ready to make the jump to the NHL, this was a move Bryan Murray could afford to make.
There will be times in the future where the Senators regret trading Bishop but that's the reality of the situation here in Ottawa.
The organization has used their depth in goal and parlayed that into an additional, young top six forward. Bryan Murray has to be happy with how this turned out. Both Philadelphia and Edmonton were in the mix until the deal with Tampa Bay was made.
With Bishop out of the picture, Robin Lehner can finally get comfortable in Ottawa. And with Craig Anderson expected to be ready to return on Friday in Buffalo, those two can officially begin their battle for control of the crease in the Nation's Capital.
Analysts seem to be almost unanimously in favour of this deal from the Senators perspective.
In Conacher they get a guy who can play centre or wing and who instantly becomes the leading scorer on the Sens roster with 24 points in 35 games. He's got offnesive skills, skates quick and is known for being a hard worker. He'll fit in perfectly under Paul MacLean.
Conacher is expected to travel to Boston and meet with the team there this evening.
