Niemi Awarded $2.75 Million Salary, 'Hawks Have 48 Hours To Decide

 

The most anticipated salary arbitration hearing this summer involved the Chicago Blackhawks and their Stanley Cup winning rookie netminder, Antti Niemi. Sporting the crease for Chicago’s first hockey championship since 1961 gave the 26-year old Finnish goalie enough leverage to seek a healthy raise from the $826,875 he earned last season. Blackhawks General Manager Stan Bowman, who is dealing with heavy salary cap constraints, was hesitant to pay starter-level money to a young goalie with still limited playing experience in the NHL and occasional flaws during the postseason run.

Both sides presented their cases before an arbitrator on Thursday. Niemi reportedly sought a $4 million salary for next year and Bowman looked to pay out closer to $1.5 million, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. Forty-eight hours later, it was announced that the arbitrator met them in the middle and awarded Niemi a $2.75 million salary for the 2010-11 campaign.

Bowman stated in a conference call Thursday evening that the size of the award would play a large role in determining Niemi’s future with the club. The entire offseason has been spent dumping salary in order to become cap compliant. Approximately two months shy of the start of the regular season, CapGeek has the Blackhawks still over $400,000 above the $59.4 million maximum allowable payroll. Accepting this award would move the team’s payroll to about $3.15 million above the salary cap.

A $2.75 million salary for Niemi is far more reasonable than the $4 million he was seeking, but it can still be viewed as a bit too rich for Chicago's blood right now. One thing is for certain with this award, however. The decision Bowman must now make it based entirely on money, not merit. Even with just 42 regular season games of NHL experience and some poor showings in the playoffs, the impact a Stanley Cup can have on a goaltender is immeasurable and the several times Niemi did come up big for the Blackhawks cannot be overlooked. A sub-$3 million wage is fair.

But Bowman must still weight the benefits of continuing to dump talent in order to retain another. He's had to make fiscally responsible moves all summer, and adding Niemi back into the fold will force him to let go of even more high-priced talent. Plus, he'll just have to deal with this problem again next summer when Niemi can become an unrestricted free agent. The Blackhawks should have more cap flexibility by then. However, they will also need to sign defenseman Brent Seabrook to a new contract based on his pending restricted free agency status.

If Bowman comes to the conclusion that he can't afford to accept the award, he can either deal off Niemi in a trade to acquire some assets for the loss or step away completely and allow Niemi to explore his own options as an unrestricted free agent. Bowman has 48 hours to make his decision.

If he elects to let Niemi go and does not obtain a viable goaltender via the trade route, he can look toward the free agent market for a replacement. Marty Turco and Jose Theodore are the likeliest remaining candidates that could immediately step in to a starter role with Chicago and probably do so at a cheaper price tag than Niemi. The Blackhawks could also choose to ride out Cristobal Huet, who earns $5.625 million in each of the next two seasons, and seek a minimum salary backup to complete the 1-2 punch.

Burying Huet's contract in the minors has long been an option, as well. And it would allow the Blackhawks to keep Niemi and possess about $2.5 million in cap space left over. But there has been no indication of the Blackhawks being ready to head down that road and Huet's spot on the roster is still intact to this point.

Arbitration News From Around The Crease: Plenty Of Players Avoid, Kennedy Gets Guaranteed Award & Niemi's Hearing Goes Ahead As Scheduled

 

~ Quite a few restricted free agents who filed for arbitration hearings elected to agree with their clubs prior to said hearings over the last few days.

• Anton Stralman, Defenseman - Columbus Blue Jackets: Stralman had a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, but managed to ink a one year deal worth $1.95 million prior to it. The 23-year old received a $1.285 million raise from his $665,000 salary last season and gets right back into the picture as a top four defenseman with the Blue Jackets. He will need to work on his defensive game as he continues to sport the blue line in Columbus. But his offensive contribution is there, with good puck movement and a solid shot from the point.
• Mark Fraser, Defenseman - New Jersey Devils: Left to watch this whole Ilya Kovalchuk/NHLPA vs. NHL situation play out from the sidelines, the Devils are able to handle some other business within the organization. Fraser had an arbitration hearing scheduled for Friday, and the team was able to get a deal worked out two days prior to it. The 23-year old physical defensive defenseman will be brought back for another season on a one year, $500,000 deal. That is consistent with what he made last year, though the fact that he will make just as much money if sent to the AHL as opposed to an $85,000 salary like last year provides great upside for Fraser. For the Devils, it's a cost effective move that provides depth on the blue line with a commodity they hope to grow in the system behind guys like Colin White and the newly-added Anton Volchenkov.
• Ben Eager, Left Wing - Atlanta Thrashers: The Atlanta Thrashers had a little bit of time to get something worked out before Ben Eager's hearing on Aug. 3. But why wait when you can sign a 26-year old proven agitator with decent offensive upside? The Thrashers locked up Eager for another season at $965,000, which is exactly what he made last year while winning a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks. Packaged in that Dustin Byfuglien trade to Atlanta, Eager can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, making this a risky short-term signing if the Thrashers wish to retain him for the long haul. However, seeing how he works out next year on a largely re-structured Atlanta roster might not be the worst move, either.
• Andrew Ladd, Left Wing - Atlanta Thrashers: Another player dealt from the Chicago Blackhawks to Atlanta, Ladd was slated to have a hearing on Thursday. He got a one year deal worked out with the Thrashers prior to that hearing instead. He will earn $2.35 million in 2010-11, which would be a $700,000 raise from what he made last year with the Blackhawks. The 24-year old, two-time Stanley Cup Champion is a player the Thrashers definitely want to have and would probably be wise to work out some kind of extension with at some point during the season. He is a physical power foward with keen defensive instincts to go along with solid scoring ability. He may never play himself into a position as a consistent top six forward. But he has great all around ability that makes him more than just a role player. A price tag of $2.35 million is very fair for somebody that was integral to Chicago's Stanley Cup run.
• Peter Regin, Center/Left Wing - Ottawa Senators: Ahead of a hearing tomorrow, the Ottawa Senators inked 24-year old forward Peter Regin to a two-year, $2 million contract that will pay him $950,000 next season and $1.05 million in 2011-12. Regin had a solid campaign in 75 games with the big club last year, notching 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points. Even more impressive was his three-goal, four-point performance in six playoff games against the Pittsburgh Penguins. It took the former-third round pick some time to move on over to the Senators' roster since being drafted in 2004. But now that he's there, he appears primed to become an important offensive contributor for a club consistently on the lookout for young guns that can improve its scoring.

~ Tim Kennedy did have one of the few arbitration hearings to actually take place. He went to "court" with the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday and the ruling came down 48 hours later. He was awarded a $1 million deal for next season. Since the award is under $1,611,180, the Sabres must accept this award and have absolutely no option with regard to walking away, according to TSN. Kennedy made $635,000 last year in Buffalo, putting up 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points during his rookie campaign. A modest $365,000 raise was completely called for after that showing, and is a salary Buffalo should be more than willing to pay to see how much the 24-year old can continue to grow within their organization.

~ Antti Niemi's hearing went through as planned Thursday and that could be a good or bad thing for both parties involved depending on the arbitrator's decision. Niemi has long wanted starter money without affording Chicago a hometown discount based on his performance while playing net for the Blackhawks during their Stanley Cup run. He was, however, a rookie that showed plenty of flaws during that postseason to make General Manager Stan Bowman hesistant about inking him to such a long-term, big-money investment based on such a small sample of success. Niemi was reportedly seeking $4 million.

Although the arbitrator has until Saturday to render his award, Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Sun reported that Bowman called for a 7 p.m. conference call. This is a bit random and would seem to have something to do with this goaltending situation. According to NHL.com's Dan Rosen, Bowman doesn't really plan on making any news but instead provide an update with the call. Niemi's hearing could be a topic of discussion.

If the Blackhawks do choose to step away from Niemi, much cheaper options like Marty Turco and Jose Theodore remain available on the free agent market.

News From Around The Crease: Hall Signs Entry-Level Deal, 31 Players To Arbitration, Probert Passes Away

 

~ When he was selected first overall by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, it was fully expect that Taylor Hall would immediately step into the lineup. The organization has yearned for a player with his potential and believe he is prepared to take the next step into the NHL. On Monday, the Oilers officially signed Hall to an entry level contract that calls for him to make $900,000 in base salary and as much as $3.75 million annually with bonuses over the next three years.

Now it's up to Hall to show he can handle the pressure of an entire city riding on his shoulders. The Oilers have longed to get back on the winning track, and he is believed to be the key to that happening. Good luck, kid.