After Chicago dealt backup goaltender Scott Darling - who will become an unrestricted free agent July 1 - to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, a couple of teams have reportedly inquired about acquiring Ben Bishop's rights, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Bishop was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning this season in the Kings' last-ditch effort to reach the playoffs and to act as insurance with Jonathan Quick returning from an injury that kept him out for the majority of the season.
Ultimately, the trade did very little for the team, as Bishop went just 2-3-2 in seven games, posting a forgettable .900 save percentage and a 2.49 goals-against average.
Nevertheless, Bishop remains an elite netminder and is just three years removed from a Vezina Trophy nomination.
The 21-year-old played 42 games for the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs this season, registering seven goals and 27 assists for 34 points. He also helped the team reach the National Championship, where the Bulldogs lost to the University of Denver.
In 82 total NCAA games, Pionk - who went undrafted by NHL clubs - scored 11 goals and added 40 assists.
Kevin Shattenkirk doesn't need anyone to tell him he had a poor game on Saturday night.
The Washington Capitals defenseman spoke to the media Monday and admitted that his Game 2 performance was not up to snuff.
"Not well. Last game was really bad, but I’m focused on tonight," Shattenkirk said, according to NHL.com's Tom Gulitti. "That’s all I can worry about."
Capitals head coach Barry Trotz called out Shattenkirk following the team's 6-2 shelling by the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2, saying the 28-year-old needs to be better.
Despite the comments, Shattenkirk asserts that he is his biggest critic.
"I’m my hardest critic so I’m not really listening to a lot of what people are saying, but I know it hasn’t been good," Shattenkirk said. "I think the most important thing for me to do is to have fun and I think that’s something that I’ve lost along the way here."
After posting 14 points in 19 games down the stretch with the Capitals, Shattenkirk has managed just three assists in eight postseason contests. The veteran blue-liner must be better for Washington to stand a chance of rebounding in the second-round series.
Stealing the first two games in Washington has made the Pittsburgh Penguins the team to beat as they attempt to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.
Westgate Las Vegas Superbook released their updated Stanley Cup odds Monday, and the Penguins hold the best odds after claiming a 2-0 series lead over the Capitals.
Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, the Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers share the same odds as both own 2-1 series advantages in their respective matchups.
Engels adds Therrien may not be at the top of the list of candidates, but he's certainly on it.
In 814 career NHL games coached in both Montreal and Pittsburgh, Therrien has compiled a record of 406-303-23-82, and his greatest playoff success came with the Penguins, coaching the team to the 2008 Stanley Cup Final.
Therrien, of course, was fired by the Canadiens on Feb. 14 and replaced with Claude Julien.
The Montreal Canadiens have signed one prominent KHL free agent, but appear to have swung and missed on another.
Russian forward Vadim Shipachyov will not be signing with the club, as he's believed to be "fielding some big offers" from other teams instead, according to Eric Engels of Sportsnet.
Shipachyov, 30, had 76 points in 50 games this year. Habs were interested in him last year, but a clause in his contract kept him in KHL.
Jerabek is coming off his first season in the KHL after spending the previous eight playing for Plzen HC of the Czech Elite League. The 25-year-old played 59 games for Chekhov Vityaz where he finished fourth in defenseman assists (29) and fifth in points (34).
The move comes after the team inked Alexander Radulov to a one-year deal this past season. Radulov went on to finish second on the team in scoring with 18 goals and 54 points in 76 games.
Once again, the Washington Capitals find themselves in grave playoff danger at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins, this time after losing two games on home ice to begin the second round.
As the series moves to Pennsylvania, things are not looking great for the Presidents' Trophy winners, although there's reason to believe a comeback is indeed possible.
Here are three ways the Capitals can overcome the Penguins.
The good news for the Capitals is Holtby has been able to bounce back quite positively after being yanked this season, per Katie Brown of NHL.com.
Holtby was pulled Jan. 3 after giving up three goals on eight shots to the Toronto Maple Leafs, but then allowed three goals over his next five starts, recording three shutouts.
His next loss came Jan. 16, an 8-7 overtime loss to the Penguins in which he allowed five goals on 26 shots. After that debacle, he went 13-0-1 over his next 14 starts.
On March 6, Holtby allowed three goals on 11 shots to the Dallas Stars. He didn't actually rebound all that well here, losing the next two games while allowing nine goals on 56 shots.
Holtby was pulled late in a 6-3 loss March 31 to the Arizona Coyotes. He went 2-1-0 over his next three starts to finish the regular season, allowing three goals and posting a shutout against the New York Rangers.
Altogether, the Penguins have registered six goals on 35 shots in the series, amounting to a .829 save percentage for Holtby.
He'll need to get back closer to the .925 success rate from the opening-round win over Toronto in order to give his team a chance to win.
Through eight playoff games, Shattenkirk has recorded three power-play assists, 24 shots on goal and, to Trotz's dismay, a minus-seven rating. Add it all up and it's not what was expected when the Capitals acquired Shattenkirk from the St. Louis Blues prior to the trade deadline, nor from a player set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
In fairness, he has been paired with a bit of an anchor in Brooks Orpik, but Shattenkirk - who recorded 14 points in 19 regular-season games with the Capitals - needs to do more with the ice time afforded him.
Keep peppering Fleury with pucks
Luck has not been on Washington's side so far in this series.
Case in point: The Capitals have a 71-45 advantage in shots on goal, but have been outscored 9-4.
On top of that, Washington had more total attempts than the Penguins in both Game 1 (83-41) and Game 2 (88-45), per Hockey Stats.
The .944 save percentage posted by Fleury through two games is well above his career playoff average of .908, meaning at some point, the floodgates could and should open up for the Capitals. There's simply too much talent on the Capitals roster to keep off the scoresheet, even in a short series.
Time is quickly running out for the luck to change, however.
Ahead of Sunday's Game 3 - a 3-1 Predators victory - St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson and Nashville Mayor Megan Barry agreed to a friendly wager, putting a collection of local delicacies on the line.
If the Blues are victorious, Barry has agreed to present Krewson with a gift basket including a country music compilation album, an assortment of local BBQ sauces and rubs, Nashville-made Goo Goo Clusters, and a special Predators jersey.
Meanwhile, if the Predators are victorious Krewson will package Barry with a gift basket containing a blues compilation album, BBQ sauces and rubs from the St. Louis area, St. Louis-made gooey butter cake, and a special Blues jersey.
Of course what's a wager without a little trash talk?
"The Preds are primed and ready to go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, and as much as I like Mayor Krewson and her great city, they are going to be singing the blues this year," said Barry.
"There's only one thing I can say - let's go Blues!" said Krewson.
Next to the goodies above, both the Nashville Predators Foundation and the St. Louis Blues Foundation have agreed to donate $1,000 to the winning city's music museum.
After Sunday's win, the Predators have a 2-1 advantage.
