Ben Scrivens acquired by plummeting Canadiens for Zack Kassian
The Montreal Canadiens sent Zack Kassian to the Edmonton Oilers for Ben Scrivens on Monday morning. There’s a word for the seasons they’re having, and that word is “plight.”
The plight of Scrivens started in training camp, when he was beaten out on the Edmonton Oilers depth chart by Cam Talbot and Anders Nilsson. Down to Bakersfield he went, where he tried to reclaim some semblance of consistency. Scrivens, 29, had a 2-6-1 record in 10 games thus far this season with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, along with a 3.47 goals against average and a .893 save percentage.
The plight of Kassian, meanwhile, had him entering the NHL and NHLPA substance abuse program after he was involved in an early-morning car crash in late October. General Manager Marc Bergevin said the accident showed a “lack of character” on Kassian’s part. Kassian broke his left foot and his nose in the accident.
He was reinstated by the NHL on Dec. 15, and was placed on waivers by the Montreal Canadiens with no takers. The 24-year old had one goal and 13 penalty minutes in five pre-season games with the Canadiens, but didn’t appear in the regular season.
Oil On Whyte likes the move, in the sense that Kassian could be a fourth-line forward making $1.75 million and going RFA next summer, and they got him for what amounts to a spare part.
As for the Canadiens, they’ve lost six straight games, tumbled from the top of the Atlantic Division and are in a 1-9-0 tailspin. Can Scrivens stabilize the goalie position until Carey Price rides in for the rescue? His performance this season doesn’t inspire much confidence. But the Canadiens can afford a $2.3 million rental gamble.
From Marc Dumont from Eyes On The Prize:
He’s probably not much of an upgrade on Mike Condon from a statistical standpoint, however he does bring a lot more experience to the table, with almost 130 games of NHL experience under his belt. Working with Stephane Waite should definitely help Scrivens as well.
This also provides somewhat of an insurance policy if ever Carey Price is injured for an extend period of time. Apparently a few teams were interested in Kassian, and there was probably a draft pick offer in there somewhat. That the Canadiens decided to acquire a goaltender instead of futures is noteworthy.
More importantly, Brendan Gallagher is on his way back, and the real culprit in this tailspin has been pucks going into the opposite net, or lack thereof.
Keep in mind that Scrivens just started an outdoor game in Sacramento in the AHL, and could see time in the Winter Classic this Friday. He’s the new Ty Conklin!
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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