Niemi Joining Sharks On $2 Million Deal

The loss off the Chicago Blackhawks is now the gain of the team they eliminated in the Western Conference Finals during last year's playoffs. It is being reported that the San Jose Sharks have inked 27-year old Finnish netminder Antti Niemi to a one year deal worth $2 million.

Niemi was let go by the Blackhawks after months of contract negotiations gone awry and a salary arbitration award of $2.75 million that was deemed too much for an organization with limited cap flexibility. General Manager Stan Bowman chose to cut ties with Chicago's Stanley Cup winning goaltender and instead signed Marty Turco for $1.3 million next season. Niemi instantly became an unrestricted free agent a year earlier than he normally would have and was free to seek the best offer from teams still in need of a No. 1 goalie.

The San Jose Sharks was one of the most logically landing spots for Niemi. While General Manager Doug Wilson wanted people to believe that a combination of recently signed Antero Niittymaki and still unproven Tomas Greiss was a suitable, cheap replacement for Evgeni Nabokov, that 1-2 punch left a ton to be desired. No official decision has been made with regard to the goaltending depth chart in San Jose. But it's safe to assume that Niemi will sport the crease as the top option while Niittymaki will receive the first crack at No. 2 duties.

Niemi will now have the perfect opportunity to prove his true value in the NHL as a top-tier goaltender. While he did win the Cup last season and placed a crucial role in Chicago obtaining its first hockey championship in 49 years, there were also doubts looming over the head of a one year veteran with 42 regular season games of experience and some flawed postseason performances. In San Jose, he will play for a perennial contender that is constantly looking to get past poor playoff showings. Now that the Sharks managed to make it to the Western Conference Finals, they will look to move on from getting swept by the Blackhawks during that round and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011. The onus of backstopping the Sharks there will rest on the shoulder of Niemi.

A solid season topped by the ability to do just that in San Jose will likely land Niemi more than the $4 million a season he was seeking earlier on this offseason when he is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent yet again next summer.

Failure to do so, however, could just render the decision made by Chicago the right one.