Senators Acquire Ben Bishop from Blues, Sign Him to One-Year Deal

The Ottawa Senators announced on Sunday that they have acquired goaltender Ben Bishop from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a second round pick in the 2013 Entry Draft. Part of the trade also includes Ottawa signing Bishop to a new contract. The 25-year-old goaltender, who would have been eligible for group six unrestricted free agency this summer, will sign a one-year contract worth $650,000 on Monday. In 38 games this season with Peoria of the AHL, he has posted a 24-14-0 record, six shutouts, a 2.26 GAA, and a .928 save percentage. He last appeared in an NHL game during the 2010-11 season with the Blues. With Craig Anderson currently sidelined with a lacerated pinky finger, the Senators obviously felt they needed to add some quality goaltending depth and they got that in Bishop. Prospect Robin Lehner is not quite ready to take on starting duties, let alone for the playoffs, and Alex Auld may have a rough time handling several starts in a row, so Bishop is a great choice to help out in net. He has great size and is very agile, making him a good option in goal. Look for him to challenge hard for the backup role in Ottawa next season. As for the Blues, Bishop wasn't going to get very many starts with Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak as their goaltending tandem, so moving him to another team is a great move to give him an opportunity to secure a regular NHL role elsewhere.