Ottawa Senators build up on defence get Ben Bishop from St. Louis Blues -NHL Update
Ottawa had been looking for a goalie replacement ever since losing Craig Anderson, but it was done quietly a day before the National Hockey League (NHL) trade deadline as the Senators acquired Ben Bishop from St. Louis Blues on Sunday, February 26, 2012.
With the recent rise of Brian Elliott, who made the All-Star Game this time around after an offseason of looking for a job, St. Louis was in the mood to free up some space. A second-round draft pick for the 2013 NHL Entry Draft seemed like a good deal to
them and traded off the minor leaguer.
"We had talked about a depth goaltender (before Anderson was injured) -- we felt that we didn't have enough depth at that position," Murray said. "We've talked at great length about the draft this year and getting some goaltenders into our system. Ben is
a five-year pro; he's had some real growth in his game. (Ottawa Senators goaltending coach) Rick Wamsley worked with him for two years and knows him quite well as a person."
Bishop might not have had much exposure in the net during his time with St. Louis, which was over two seasons, but Ottawa is willing to groom the young goalie into a mainstream one for their team.
Drafted as the 85th overall draft pick during round three of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by St. Louis Blues, Bishop played his first game back in the 2008-2009 regular season and seven appearances during the 2010-2011 hockey year, but none this season.
He has a total of 13 NHL games under his belt along with a .896 save percentage, 2.83 goals against average and 614 playing minutes in total.
Standing at 6-foot-7, Bishop definitely has the size of being a great potential goalkeeper in the NHL if given more time to play, which Ottawa does have the moment of awarding him.
He was not awarded a contract for this season by St. Louis but came to an agreement with Ottawa after being traded, which is for one-year at $650,000 along with making him a restricted free agent at the end.
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