NHL GM missed prime opportunity to fix goaltending mess.

Jim Nill sure missed the boat yesterday.

The Dallas Stars' general manager lost a prime opportunity to fix his goaltending debacle when the Tampa Bay Lightning dealt netminder Ben Bishop to the Los Angeles Kings.

To make matters worse for Nill, the Kings acquired Bishop at a relatively low price, sending veteran netminder Peter Budaj, prospect Erik Cernak, and two draft choices to the Lightning.

As it stands, the Stars are currently sitting 12th in the Western Conference, and are 9 points out of a playoff spot. Although the team has a number of issues, their most glaring is between the pipes. The duo of Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi currently own a shared save rate at .895, good for second worst in the NHL. For a team that finished with 109 points and won the Central Division last season, they have fallen very short of their goal this season.

Bishop is a pending unrestricted free agent at season's end, and seems unlikely that the Kings will have space to keep him with Jonathan Quick pegged as the team's long-term starter. However, it would have been a good idea to give Bishop a shot to showcase his talents in Texas.

Nill will likely pursue Bishop during the offseason, but the goaltending pool is small other than that. If Bishop winds up off the board, the likes of Ryan Miller, Jonathan Bernier, and Steve Mason are the only options remaining.

Meanwhile Dallas is likely to miss the playoffs after advancing to the second round last season.

This can't be described as anything but a squandered opportunity for Nill and his team.

[pub]