St. Louis Blues signs veteran forward Scott Nichol and backup goalie Ben Bishop to one-year deals
St. Louis Blues added depth to its offensive line-up as it signed San Jose Sharks' veteran forward, Scott Nichol, to a one-year, $600,000 contract, plus bonus incentives. St. Louis also re-signed its backup goalie, Ben Bishop, to a two-way, one-year contract
worth $600,000 for playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) and $100,000 to play in the American Hockey League (AHL).
The 36-year-old, Scott Nichol, thinks his experience can be helpful for a young team like St. Louis Blues.
"I've played against the Blues a lot, and I think you can respect them because of how hard they play every single night", Nichol said. "They're young and they're big and they're fast. That seems the way the NHL is going, and they're a real hard to play against.
We had tons of trouble with them last year. Looking up and down their lineup, I thought I could really help them out".
Drafted in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft as 272nd overall in round-eleven by Buffalo Sabres, Nichol has played with various teams like Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators and most recently, San Jose Sharks.
The veteran forward has played a total of 552 NHL games so far and boasts a record of 118 points with 52 goals and 66 assists.
Nichol has been playing in the playoffs for five consecutive seasons, an attribute which would certainly assist St. Louis Blues.
St. Louis Blues' general manager, Doug Armstrong, is still on the lookout for top-notch players that can improve the roster, but at the same time, is satisfied with his current one.
"We're still looking", Armstrong said. "This doesn't preclude us from doing other things if we want to improve our team. I think right now, I'm comfortable with our roster, but I'm always looking to improve it”.
Ben Bishop, will be entering his third season with St. Louis after being selected as 85th overall in round-three of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
He has only played 13 games in the NHL and has to prove himself if he wants to remain a part of the major leagues and a backup for Blues' main goalie, Jaroslav Halak.
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