Veteran goalie Ben Bishop, who missed the entire 2020-21 season after having knee surgery, will be available for selection by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft next Wednesday. Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press
Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop has waived his no-movement clause and can be exposed in the Seattle expansion draft next week.
The move, which the team confirmed Thursday, allows Dallas to protect veteran goalie Anton Khudobin from the Kraken. Jake Oettinger, the 22-year old who is considered the Stars’ goalie of the future, is exempt from the expansion draft because he is still on his entry-level contract.
Any player with a no-movement clause must be protected from the expansion draft unless he waives it.
Each team’s protected list – seven skaters, three defensemen and a goalie or eight skaters at any position plus a goalie – is due Saturday.
Bishop, 34, will not be on the Stars’ protected list and gives Seattle General Manager Ron Francis something to think about when considering his options in net. Vancouver’s Braden Holtby, who won the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best goalie in 2016 and backstopped Washington to the Stanley Cup in 2018, is also expected to be among those available.
Taking Holtby from the soon-to-be-rival Canucks could give the Kraken a recognizable face of the franchise like Vegas had with three-time Cup-winning goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Bishop, a former UMaine goalie with an impressive resume, also fits that bill.
Bishop is signed for two more seasons at an annual salary cap hit of $4.9 million. He missed last season recovering from right knee surgery.
Bishop was Dallas’ No. 1 goaltender the previous three seasons and one of the best in hockey. His 2.33 goals-against average ranked second and his .923 save percentage third among NHL goaltenders during that stretch.
PANTHERS: Florida bought out the remainder of Keith Yandle’s contract, giving the veteran defenseman a chance at a fresh start and providing the team some extra salary cap space.
Yandle was signed for two more seasons at a cap hit of $6.35 million. The buyout saves Florida $4 million against the cap next season, just under $1 million in 2022-23, and costs an extra $1.2 million in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
Yandle, 34, holds the longest active ironman streak in the NHL at 922 consecutive regular-season games played – 42 short of Doug Jarvis’ record. The Panthers made Yandle a healthy scratch for half of their first-round playoff series, but that does not affect his streak.
TRADE: The Colorado Avalanche sent veteran defenseman Ryan Graves to the New Jersey Devils in a move made with an eye on the expansion draft.
The Avalanche acquired forward Mikhail Maltsev and a second-round selection. By trading Graves, along with Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson agreeing to waive his no-movement clause, the team can protect defensemen Devon Toews, Cale Makar and Samuel Girard.
DEVILS: New Jersey re-signed restricted free-agent forward Michael McLeod to a two-year, $1.95 million contract.
McLeod completed his third NHL season with the Devils, recording career highs with nine goals and six assists in 52 games.
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