Ty Conklin Placed on Waivers

Ben Bishop was outstanding last night, picking up an impressive shutout in a 5-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers. His play was so solid that it might have just ended Ty Conklin’s time with the Blues. This morning, according to Jeremy Rutherford,  the Blues placed Conklin on waivers, signaling a beginning to Bishop’s role as the new backup goaltender and the return of Jaroslav Halak to the net.

At first the news that Conklin was on waivers was a bit surprising, but when you break it down, it actually makes plenty of sense.

This was Conklin’s last year with the Blues no matter which way you slice it. His contract ended at season’s end and with goaltenders like Bishop and Jake Allen waiting in the minors, it’d make no sense to retain Conklin’s services for the future.

So why wasn’t Conklin traded?

Unfortunately it’s a combination of factors.

Jaroslav Halak’s untimely injury forced the Blues to wait as they couldn’t pull a trigger on a deal involving Conklin as it would mean Bishop and Allen would have to take over both the starting and backup roles until Halak returned.

In all reality, Conklin likely killed any market for a deal with his play this season but especially his play of late. For the year, Conks is 7-6-3 with a 3.11 GAA and a .884 save percentage. His recent appearances have mostly been struggles and likely scared off any potential interest for him on the trade market – 10 goals allowed in his last four appearances.

Now that Conklin is on waivers, it seems pretty likely that some team out there will place a claim on him. While he has had a year to forget, he does provide a better option than what some team’s are currently rolling with in relief of their starters.  His salary, $1.4 million, is a pretty manageable as well.

Expect an update from the club soon in regards to this topic, but you can bet it will announce that Halak is ready to play and that Bishop is the new official backup goaltender.