Goalie Antti Niemi still could be traded or become a free agent if the Hawks walk away. (Getty)
An arbitrator has awarded Antti Niemi $2.75 million for next season, according to Bill Zito, the goalie's agent.
That figure appears low enough that the Hawks could work under the NHL's salary cap to retain the netminder or there is still a possibility general manager Stan Bowman could trade him.
The Hawks have 48 hours to decide whether to accept the award or walk away from it, allowing Niemi to become a free agent. They could also accept the award and then trade Niemi and sign a veteran free agent at a lower salary.
It's believed Niemi asked for more than $3 million for the one-year contract during Thursday's arbitration hearing in Toronto and that the Hawks were seeking a deal of around $2 million.
Also how painful will it be when we dont sign him and the sj sharks grab him and win numerous cups bye the way that is where he will end up if he leaves im sure of it .doug wilson is licking his chops thats why they offered hjalmarrson so much money they knew we would match then they would snake niemi from the hawks. i hope bowman sees this
WillWordsmith on July 31, 2010 2:54 PM
Is there a way the Blackhawks can pay him $750,000 and United Center operations can pay him $2 million to drive the zamboni?
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Thanks, man, for the levity. I am nervous about the Hawks for next year but this comment made me laugh until my sides hurt. It's a nice reality check.
Bowman should sign him and see how the season plays out.We don't want to kick ourselves in the ass again like we did for many years and trade him and have him haunt us when we play his team and they beat us.They should sign him for the 1 year deal,the approximate 3 mil. or so is nothing for a good.If he plays as good this year as he doid last year,it's money well spent and only 1/2 of what we paid Huet and he sucked royally.Sign him,if he plays great this year,we'll have more salary space by next year I'm sure and then the Hawks can sign him to a multi year/multi million dollar contract and everyone is happy. 3 million is nothing these days for a good player!! JUST SIGN HIM!!!
This is a one year deal so it doesn't screw the Hawks in the future and doesn't force us to play Huet. Niemi is better than Huet and proved it. If you don't sign Niemi, who are you going to sign, Turco?
Now walking away is not an option. They can fit Niemi under the cap for this season and still have 21 players on the roster (Capgeek is fun). They can also trade him, but at least they would get something back.
Antii Niemi will be here next year. It IS just a one-year and Antii made his statement by improving game to game, once he was given the job. I repeat: He is almost exclusive in the ability to have selective amnesia about goals allowed or games lost. It's a valuable trait. Ask any goalie coach. He's worth it for, at least, one year.
"They're OUR kids, damnit!"
Niemi is a big reason we won the Stanley Cup and in my opinion he's worth every penny. He stepped up big time when Huet sucked.
The overpaid players like Campbell, Huet and Hossa should be traded. Campbell was giving tons of turnovers, Hossa was invisible in most games and you already know the story about Huet. Niemi deserves the money and they should have kept Byfuglien. Their loss.
niemi should have won the conn smythe trophy... bowman would be a fool (which i don't believe his father will allow him to be) to let this guy get away
I am guessing "Bowman says no"(in my best Pat Foley voice), but I am hoping he stays. It is not a killer salary for one year to see if he is really the real deal.
Hoog, I usually agree with you but..... You get rid of Campbell and you better get another D man that can skate like him, Move the Puck as quickly up the ice as him and as accurately as him. The Offense looked lost when he went down and picked up almost right away when he got back. He is a General on the ice. I think they have to keep Campbell and eat the contract. UNLESS... They can get someone comparable. Not an easy find. I mean Duncan is one of the best D Men in the game (Of Course) but he is different. You need both Types of defensmen in the Hawks system and it will be very hard to find another Campbell out there.
I know the 1st 3/4 of a season in Chicago he struggled getting used to the big city and the new team and he also had a few problems that were not so widley publisized but after that start, starting the last quarter of his 1st year, the playoffs the year before and all of last season he proved how valuable he was. Heck he proved it before he even got to the city.
And this is just for 1 year before Niemi becomes eligible to become a free agent again. It's too much of a hassle to deal with again. With Niemi Bowman should get into his trader mode again. A lot of teams would be interested in Niemi for $2.75 mil. Niemi still fits under the Hawks cap THIS YEAR but long term Niemi may have overshot his worth to the Hawks. Niemi should hope to stay with the Hawks. Behind Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson Niemi should be a top goaltender again and, thus, an even bigger contract after this year with somebody when he is an actual free agent.
Forwards
Patrick Kane – Jonathan Toews – Troy Brouwer
Marian Hossa – Patrick Sharp – Viktor Stalberg
Tomas Kopecky – Dave Bolland – Bryan Bickell
Jack Skille – Jake Dowell – Igor Makarov/Hugh Jessiman/Jeff Taffe
Defense
Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook
Brian Campbell-Niklas Hjalmarsson
Shawn Lalonde-Jordan Hendry*
John Scott as seventh defenseman/13th forward on roster
Goalies: Antti Niemi – Hannu Toivonen
that is the predicted lines for the beginning of the season, thats if hendry agrees to return for the same amount, it will start the season with the hawks under the cap in the 200k range, and I wouldnt be surprised if kopecky is gone by sometime in the mid season.
and by looking at the prospects camp this year I dont find it out of the question that the hawks could be decent cup contenders for this year... I know winning the cup twice in a row is harder to do than any other sport but they definitely will be in contention and will definitely be in the playoffs again.
Make the right choice sign him. Does everyone remeber when the league expanded and we had to make a choice . Eddie or hasek we protected eddie and watched hasek dominate the league for the next 15 years . I dont want to see that again.
Is there a way the Blackhawks can pay him $750,000 and United Center operations can pay him $2 million to drive the zamboni?
If any of you naysayers have even bothered to check the numbers and how this works with the Hawks cap situation, it is about as tight as they can go towards the top end and still retain Niemi. Do you people really want an aging Turco or Theodore? Really? As others have pointed out, it is only a 1-year deal, so, if indeed Niemi was a one-year wonder, then it can be rectified at the end of next season. Let's be honest, the Hawks are likely a playoff team this coming season but probably short of being a legit Stanley Cup contender.
I think Niemi is a solid NHL goalie. Yes, our team defense allowed low shot totals and would minimize the amount of shots faced LAST SEASON. The Hawks won't be as deep in 2010-11, so Niemi should see more rubber in his grill. The Hawks will likely get a better indication of Niemi's real worth after this season.
Under the cap circumstances, young Bowman has done a fine job of gathering what appears to be some good young talent. Although the Hawks may have a slight dip this season, I anticipate it being a one-year dip. For those on here that do follow hockey constantly, the Hawks are basically using the Detroit Red Wings blueprint for building a team that will win consistently over a long period of time (keep your core forwards/d-men in place and fill in with young players/economical veterans on the 3rd and 4th lines. Just sit back and enjoy the ride people.
I agree with Christian and BlackhawkRob. The Hawks are already going to have chemistry/adjustment issues next year with the turnover of players - no sense adding fuel to the fire. Hawks need to make adjustments to fit Niemi under the cap for this year. If Niemi doesn't prove himself, maybe then turn to Crawford, one of their other minor leaguers, or get a goalie from somewhere else.
Whats the deal with all this Anti-Niemi talk. We should all be FOR him..Pro-Niemi all the way...
While I'm at it...what so bad about violins on television? Our children need to see more violins....more tubas, cellos and French horns too...and definitely more cowbell.
Unbelievable you all. I agree with christian - but I'm very surprised with all the other negative response.
It's a one year deal guys! We didn't sign him for 5mil/year for 10 years. goodness
You'd want Turco who has been declining year after year instead of Nemo who stood on his head many times??? Watch the replays, our D is sweet but watch the games again - Niemi was a stud.
2.75 is overpaying??? Look at the salaries of other goalies (i.e. Huet haha!)
"And in that one year they can try to open up more cap space by dealing with the 2 largest cap space hogs on the team huet and campbell. Campbell is good, but not as good as what his contract states."
You don't think they've tried to find a buyer for Huet? Not happening. Campbell is good, but his price tag is not. Neither guy is getting traded.
"
Umm Halak got 3.75 mil. Sure, he has more nhl experience but umm Nemo won.
4 times his worth? you think Nemo is worth 800k?
this is a steal imo - hawks should sign it!"
Look at the Habs D vs the Hawks. Niemi is good, but Halak played with much inferior D in front.
This is going to make it tough. It's much closer to the number Niemi was seeking than the number the Hawks were looking to pay.
They have to let him walk.
thanks for helping get us the Cup, but it's time to move on.
I thought he played exceptionally well against both Vancouver and great against SJ.
He was average at best against Philly but that was a long season and Niemi likely was past tired and still did what he had to do when he had to do it.
I also think he is an exceptional one-on-one guy. He rarely gets beat on a break away.
The real travesty is that Huet was signed for a super ridiculous amount for a guy whose only playoff experience was getting smoked by Detroit.
You can't screw over Niemi because of the stupidity of overplaying Huet.
christian on July 31, 2010 12:59 PM
and had more than half the shutouts of future hall of famer and starting goalie martin brodeur had
................................
Comparing him to a 38 year old on his last leg? How bold.
And shutouts are a team accomplishment, most of them come with an easy night for the tender.
"They have to let him walk, the guy just isn't very good."
During the playoffs he was a serious contender for MVP
In played maybe half the regular season and had more than half the shutouts of future hall of famer and starting goalie martin brodeur had
He has an unconventional playing style that has opposing teams and even his own team mates having a hard time figuring out how to beat him.
He has legs like an octopus
and most importantly hes level headed and doesnt get frustrated along the lines of ryan miller. Which is the most important thing as a goaltender.
There is no way Niemi is worth anywhere close to 2.75, let him walk he is easily replaced and use the money on some players.
how is it a bad deal? With all these prospects the hawks have brought in to work on the 3rd and 4th lines they have opened up 3.5 million to keep Niemi. And its a one year contract. If it ends up he was a one trick pony then bye bye niemi, but seeing how he played in the season and playoffs he shows signs of growing into a great cool headed goaltender. And in that one year they can try to open up more cap space by dealing with the 2 largest cap space hogs on the team huet and campbell. Campbell is good, but not as good as what his contract states.
They have to let him walk, the guy just isn't very good.
I know many people won't understand it, but I don't know a single hockey player who thinks he's anything more than a middle of the road backup for that level. He's a backup who can have a decent streak once in a while, like all of the other backups, he just gets paid like a starter and that needs to change. Release him and bring in the next in line for a fraction of the money and we will be better off.
Umm Halak got 3.75 mil. Sure, he has more nhl experience but umm Nemo won.
4 times his worth? you think Nemo is worth 800k?
this is a steal imo - hawks should sign it!
OUCH
No thanks.
That's about 4 times what he's worth, this is a really bad deal for the Hawks.