In reality, Ben Bishop is no longer an NHL goaltender. Chronic knee issues forced him into a soft retirement as of December 2021, when, after 14 months attempting to rehab a knee injury, he indicated his playing days were done.
On paper, however, Bishop has one season left at a $4.917 million cap hit, which includes $3.5 million in actual salary, comprised of a $2.5 million base salary and $1 million signing bonus.
According to a report from ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, that contract is on the move. The Buffalo Sabres are close to acquiring the Bishop contract from the Dallas Stars, Weekes said Friday.
**Breaking News ** I’m told that the @BuffaloSabres are close to acquiring Ben Bishop’s contract from the @DallasStars in a Salary Cap move. @NHL #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/pNgd0ZjHcC
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) June 10, 2022
The return in the deal is not yet known. Bishop’s cap hit would help the Sabres reach the salary floor. The Sabres only have about $42 million committed to the cap so far for 2022-23.
Bishop, 35, hasn’t played since he started three games for the Stars during the 2019-20 postseason bubble tournament. He’s a two-time All-Star and three-time Vezina Trophy finalist. His 222 career victories place him 10th all-time among U.S.-born goaltenders, while his .921 career save percentage ranks fifth in NHL history, trailing only Dominik Hasek, Ken Dryden, Johnny Bower and Tuukka Rask.
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