Marc-Andre Fleury price too high, Flames turn to Ben Bishop?

The trade negotiations between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Calgary Flames for goalie Marc-Andre Fleury appear to have become a “who’s more screwed?” competition.

The Penguins seemed pretty screwed. Fleury makes $5.75 million against the cap through 2019, and his no-move clause necessitates that the team protect him in next summer’s expected NHL expansion draft. All of this is problematic because rookie Matt Murray won the Stanley Cup and dang near won the Conn Smythe in the process. Fleury was made expendable years before the team expected to have to make this call, and the expansion draft pretty much mandates his departure.

But the Penguins are wagering that the Calgary Flames are even more screwed. They need a goalie. Badly. The ones on Fleury’s level are locked up or suddenly unavailable – like Freddie Andersen, now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

From Eric Francis of the Calgary Sun:

The Calgary Sun has learned Rutherford is asking for the Flames’ first round draft pick for Fleury — yes, the sixth pick overall at Friday’s NHL Entry Draft in Buffalo. It’s not going to happen, nor should it.

A deal to bring Fleury to Calgary is there for the making as soon as Rutherford realizes it’s now or never, in terms of dealing with the Flames. Only one team values Fleury and the salary he’d come with.

The No. 6 pick for three-years of a 31-year-old goalie with concussion issues is about as likely to happen as a Trump/Rosie O’Donnell ticket, so let’s hit stop on this one. Or at least pause. One imagines there’s a deal to be made here. Or maybe Jim Rutherford’s, ahem, Cup size has grown exponentially to continue to ask for a first.

So where do the Flames turn next?

Kevin O'Donnell, award-winning Sports Anchor/Reporter for WTVT Fox13 in Tampa (according to his Twitter bio), said that “reports out of Canada have a deal in the works for the Tampa Bay Lightning to trade Ben Bishop to the Calgary Flames.”

Which reports? Haven’t seen them. But if you’re wondering about Kevin’s hockey bonafides, check out THIS take:

Um … what? Is, like, Hedman in play?

Anyway, be it Fleury or Bishop or another option, the Flames need to make a move for a netminder. It’s just a matter of target and price.

As for the Lightning, it's entirely possible Bishop gets moved, what with their own expansion draft concerns and Andrei Vasilevskiy waiting in the wings.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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