Bishop To Team 32?

Despite the poor chess joke in the title of this article, eyebrows were raised today when it was reported that Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop had agreed to waive his no-movement clause in order to allow Dallas to expose him in the Seattle Kraken expansion draft. Bishop, whose cap hit is $4,916,666 over the next two seasons as per CapFriendly, would be a big-name goaltender for Seattle to select if they want him, but there are a few caveats that may have them look elsewhere on the Dallas roster. One thing that is certain, though, is that Ben Bishop is up for grabs if the Kraken want him.

It was understood that the Stars likely wanted to protect Anton Khudobin after his last two rather incredible seasons. The Stars would have had to ask Ben Bishop if he would waive his no-movement clause in order to protect Khudobin, but, according to Mike Heika of NHL.com, it was Bishop who made the first move.

"It was orchestrated by him because of the uncertainty of his status and because he wanted to help the organization," Stars general manager Jim Nill told Heika. "He hasn't really played in a year and a half, and he knows what Anton has done for us, so I think he just decided this is what's best for everyone."

That voluntary waiving of the no-movement clause made Jim Nill's life a little better, but it also gives Bishop some flexibility as well.

Obviously, there's a chance to play as the starter in Seattle if the Kraken select Bishop in the expansion draft. There's no guarantee that will happen, however, as Bishop has been injured a lot including skipping all of last season. Combined with his nearly $5 million cap hit, that's a gamble that I'm sure that Seattle will take despite career numbers that include a 2.32 GAA and a .921 save percentage.

However, in the six seasons where he's been healthy enough to play forty-or-more games, Bishop's points percentage has been .645 as the goalie of record, and that's a huge number for an expansion team when looking to earning all the points they can get. It should also be noted that those six seasons produced a 2.26 GAA and a .923 save percentage for Bishop - improvements on his career numbers - so it could be reasoned that if Bishop is healthy, having him busy may produce better results for the Kraken.

The flip side of the equation, though, is that Dallas may have goaltending duel on their hands come training camp next year if the Kraken select someone else from the Stars. Having Khudobin playing his best hockey was the reason that Bishop can be made available, but if Bishop comes into camp healthy and ready to go, the Stars may have a two-headed monster in their crease.

"We're just going to have to take it day by day as far as the rehab process goes, and then decisions will be made," Bishop told Heika. "It's just really step by step. It's frustrating, but I've fought through a lot so far and I understand it's a slow process."

And ultimately, that might be what keeps Seattle from selecting Bishop next week. If his knee isn't fully healed or if he re-injures it early in the season, that's a big price to pay for the Kraken when it comes making the best team possible through the expansion draft for the first few years of the franchise. The risks may outweigh the rewards of those solid numbers posted above, and the Kraken will be crunching the numbers on every player available to determine whether they fit.

For a guy who has played for six NHL teams already in his career, it would seem that moving to a new team this summer shouldn't faze Bishop too much. Moving to a brand-new team, though, may come with its benefits if they choose the veteran goalie in the expansion draft as Bishop could show the world he's back and healthy and ready to dominate again.

We'll find out if Bishop is Seattle-bound on July 21!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!