Ben Bishop waives his no-trade clause

This just in from Dallas Stars insider Matthew DeFranks, Stars goaltender Ben Bishop has agreed to waive his no-trade / no-movement clause for the upcoming 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. 

Due to his contract, Bishop would have had to be protected in the draft leaving the Seattle Kraken with the option of selecting Anton Khudobin. Backup and emerging prospect Jake Oettinger is exempt due to his age and contract status. Stars GM Jim Nill confirmed however that Ben Bishop will not be traded as a result of waiving his no-trade clause.

What's most interesting to me is that Bishop and agent Allain Roy actually approach GM Nill and the Stars with this idea on their own. 

“I thought that was a good move for him and the team,” Bishop’s agent Allain Roy told The Dallas News.

“In the big picture, the goal is to win the Stanley Cup, so I think he felt that was the right move for the team to be the best team possible next year. Makes sense.”

I've got to say, that's an absolutely refreshing sentiment in this day and age. Chances are Bishop will go unselected due to his injury problems and this story will fade away in weeks time, but I think it's worth noting just how selfless and how big of a "team first" kind of decision this is by Bishop and his representation. In an NHL where money rules the day and everyone is looking out for their own interests, it's refreshing to see a guy 'take one for the team' so to speak.

As for Bishop's NHL future, it's very fair to say that his playing days are in doubt. He sat out the entire 2020-21 season and was BARELY a part of the team's Stanley Cup Final run in 2019-20. He's been rehabbing a surgically repaired knee over the past two seasons and at 34 years old the long-term prognosis does not look good. He was expected to re-join the team at some point this past season, but simply wasn't able to pass a team physical. Here's hoping the time off has been good for him and he can get back to his usual self in 2021-22, but I'm not holding my breath unfortunately.