The Fourth Period :: St. Louis Blues :: Third goalie a commodity in St. Louis?


January 20, 2012 \| 10:01am ET

Third goalie a commodity in St. Louis?
TheFourthPeriod.com

After the St. Louis Blues sign netminder Brian Elliott to a two-year contract extension on Wednesday, their third goaltender Ben Bishop started gaining interest around the league.

Bishop, 25, fought for a spot on the roster in September, but lost out to Elliott.

As discussed on a segment of TSN's Insider Trading, Bishop might not get the chance to prove himself in St. Louis.

In 27 games with the AHL's Peoria Rivermen this season, Bishop has registered a .932 save percentage and 2.17 goals-against-average and could catch the eye of a few teams, such as the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Tampa Bay Lighting, shopping for a backup goalie close to the trade deadline.

Bishop would have to play in 17 more games at an NHL level this season to lose the group 6 UFA status or he will become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Interested teams could choose to pay the Blues a premium to get their hands on Bishop now, play him in the 17 games to take him out of unrestricted free agency and guarantee themselves a netminder that is cost-efficient.

More Trade Deadline Info
List of Trades | No-Trade/No-Movement Clauses | Top 25 Available Players | Team-by-Team Cap Info