The Dallas Stars made a big move to solidify the goaltending position when they traded for Ben Bishop’s rights then signed him to a six-year deal worth nearly $30 million in early May.
But Bishop wasn’t Dallas general manager Jim Nill’s first choice, according to Joural de Montreal’s Renaud Lavoie. Nill wanted Chicago Blackhawks backup Scott Darling, who at the time was a pending unrestricted free agent like Bishop, to be Dallas’ goaltender of the future.
According to Lavoie, Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman pushed Nill to exchange a third-round pick for Darling’s exclusive negotiating rights.