Bryzgalov isn’t just a running comedy act. He’s one of the league’s most thoughtful players and the fact that he offers the insight he does in his second language is something he’ll never get enough credit for.

And this smart guy clearly has done the math. He understands the team’s cap situation for next season and he knows he’s put together the worst statistical season of his career, with a 2.88 GAA and .896 save percentage. His pay-to-performance ratio is wildly out of whack, and that makes him vulnerable to a buyout.

Drawing on his Russian fatalism, he knows the target is on his back. But not worrying about it is not the same as not caring. Bryzgalov may not show his passion with a Mark Messier-like glower or by battling like Billy Smith, but he’s a competitor. He deserved better.

- Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated, where you can read why Muir believes Ilya Bryzgalov "deserved better".