Quick, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Kings and elite fantasy goalie since 2009-10, remains their No. 1 goalie in the short and long term. But Bishop has been brought in not only for insurance, but for short-term help with the Kings outside of Stanley Cup Playoff position with 21 games to go. Each should be owned in all fantasy formats.
Budaj (71 percent owned), meanwhile, stepped in for the injured Quick and outperformed even the highest fantasy expectations anyone could have envisioned behind a stout Kings defense. The 34-year-old is 27-20-3 with a 2.12 GAA, .917 SV% and tied for the NHL lead with seven shutouts. As of Sunday, Budaj was 21st overall in Yahoo's performance-based rankings, third among goalies behind Braden Holtby and Devan Dubnyk.
It was inevitable Budaj's start volume would eventually dip upon Quick's return, but this trade is likely to hurt his fantasy value more than if he remained with Los Angeles. Bishop's departure opens the door for the 22-year-old Vasilevskiy (42 percent owned) to become Tampa Bay's full-time starter. The Lightning are also currently outside of the postseason picture with 22 games remaining.
After a 6-1-1 start with a .951 SV% and two shutouts, Vasilevskiy is 5-12-4 with an .893 SV% and no shutouts since Nov. 29. With Bishop out of the picture and Budaj's contract ending after this season, Vasilevskiy is a must-have player in most keeper leagues. That said, don't drop Budaj in case Vasilevskiy falters in the final six weeks of the season -- a possible scenario if the Lightning fall out of contention.
In terms of back-to-back sets the rest of the way, the Lightning and Kings each have five left, meaning each of these four goalies remains fantasy relevant in the short term. Each team has already had their NHL-mandated five-day break.
