Top Line: Lightning re-sign Ben Bishop; Roger Federer plays ball hockey; more links
An annotated guide to this morning's must-read hockey stories:
• Ben Bishop's career season last year, which culminated when he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, certainly paid off. The Lightningextended the goalie on Saturday for two years at nearly $6 million per season, which will make the 27-year-old the ninth highest-paid goalie in the league in 2015–16, when the new contract kicks in. It's a hefty raise from the $2.3 million he'll earn next season, as Tampa Bay continues to be the most intriguing team of the off-season.
• While a federal panel in Kansas City considers consolidating several lawsuits against the NHL into a single class-action case, Chris Ferraro and Dan Fritsche added their names to the growing list of former players who are suing the league for allegedly cultivating a culture of violence and not sufficiently informing players of the long-term health risks associated with playing. Venues for a possible class action suit are being considered—the league prefers New York or Washington, D.C., while the former players like Minnesota.
• Roger Federer played ball hockey with NHL players Phil Kessel and Jason Spezza in Toronto Sunday, scoring a goal while in a T-shirt that said BETTERER. Awesome.
• After playing ball hockey with Fed, Kessel said that he liked the Maple Leafs chances next season.
• Blue Jackets first-rounder, Sonny Milano, is reportedly considering spurning Boston College to play for the OHL's Plymouth Whalers. The battle for prospects between teams from the NCAA and the CHL continues on its long and winding road ...
Subban settlement sets a precedent Canadiens brass can live with
• Columbus, meanwhile, hasn't made much progress with Ryan Johansen. Though the restricted free agent is willing to take a "bridge" contract, according to Columbus Dispatch reporter Aaron Portzline, the two sides are still "hectares" apart on figures.
• Did Ticketmaster accidentally leak another California Stadium Series game for next season?Kings vs. Sharks?
• With P.K. Subban signed up long term with the Canadiens for eight years and $72 million, and set to be the highest paid defenseman (by cap hit) in the league, Montreal fans may need to remind themselves why he's worth the money. Here's a compilation of highlights to help them remember.