On the Tampa Bay Lightning, Ben Bishop and Nikita Kucherov …
Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times: Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop thought he was going to be traded to the Calgary Flames.
Back at the draft in June, the Flames had permission from the Lightning to speak with Bishop about contract. Bishop’s reps were “in the process” of working out a possible contract extension with the Flames, but the the Flames shifted gears and traded for Brian Elliott.
“It looked like for a little bit it was going to happen,” Bishop told the Tampa Bay Times by phone Friday. “At kind of the last minute (the Flames) went out and got Elliott. It was close, but there was never… It wasn’t that close, obviously.”
Lightning GM Steve Yzerman said after the draft that he wasn’t close to making a trade. Flames GM Brad Treliving wouldn’t comment on Bishop. Bishop has a partial no-movement clause and was at the point where he was considering it.
The Lightning will eventually have to decide if they want to keep Bishop or 22-year old Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Bishop is aware that rumors will be around, especially leading up to the trade deadline.
“That goes in your head, and then you think you might have a great year and be with Tampa Bay the rest of your life,” Bishop said. “You can look at it both ways. You try not to think about it, because then it .. starts to make you upset.”
Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times: The Lightning still need to sign restricted free agent winger Nikita Kucherov, but coach Jon Cooper isn’t concerned.
“I’m confident Kuch is going to sign back,” Cooper said Thursday.
GM Steve Yzerman has talked with Kucherov’s agent Scott Greenspun, but they won’t comment on the negotiations.
“Sometimes they get done when they get done,” Yzerman said. “You can’t force it.”
The Lightning currently have about $6.2 million in cap space, but that number will be closer to $5 million when it’s a 23 man roster. Once the season starts, Ryan Callahan can be put on the LTIR, giving them some cap relief while he recovers from hip surgery.
They could look to trade some salary, with potential options in Ben Bishop ($5.95 million and a partial NMC), Valtteri Filppula ($5 million and a NMC), or Jason Garrison ($4.6 million and a NTC). Trading Brian Boyle ($2 million) or Erik Condra ($1.25 million) wouldn’t create a lot of extra space.
The Lightning already have $55 million committed to players next season and have RFAs in Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Drouin.