Bishop went 37-14-7 with the Lightning in 2013-14 and was third in the Vezina Trophy voting that season. Bishop hurt his leg late in the season and did not play in the playoffs, but the next season took the Lightning to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost in six games.
Bishop also battled injuries that season and the next and eventually the Lightning had to make a decision on letting Bishop go and trusting youngster Andrei Vasilevskiy. They traded Bishop to Los Angeles, where he struggled in seven games before the end of the season.
Still, he said all of the ups and downs have helped make him who he is today.
"I look at my time in LA as a good thing," he said. "I got to work with players who have won two Stanley Cups -- with Jonathan Quick, with some great coaches. I think you have to look at everything as a chance to improve, a chance to learn, and that's what that was."
Before he could become an unrestricted free agent, the Stars worked out a trade for Bishop's rights and signed him to a six-year contract extension. He went 26-17-5 last season with a 2.49 goals against average and .916 save percentage. He then improved on that this season with a 27-15-2 record, a 1.98 GAA and a .934 save percentage. Bishop led the NHL in save percentage and was second in GAA.
That was the reason for the Vezina buzz.
"He's a great competitor and a great goaltender," Stars coach Jim Montgomery said. "He's up for the Vezina for a reason."
Added Stars goalie coach Jeff Reese: "He's handled everything very well. … As far as the pressure goes, he has a lot of experience with that. He's been in the finals, he's played a lot of playoff games, and he's got a calm demeanor about him.