Antti Niemi signs with the Sharks, solidifies netminding
According to Brodie Brazil of SportsNet Bay Area, Stanley Cup winning goaltender Antti Niemi has signed a one-year contract work 2 million dollars. We also heard this news from former player Nick Kypreos, via Twitter. It may be premature but we will call this deal an open and shut case.
This move makes sense for a few reasons:
- Currently the Sharks employ both Thomas Greiss and Antero Niittymaki and neither of which have held a starting job over a full season. Niittymaki was considered an excellent signing from the start as the team went cheap after watching lesser known goalies like Niemi and Leighton carry their teams to the cup. Now they have the epitome of a cheap netminder in Niemi.
- Niemi adds a Cup to the mix of veterans who for the most part have been snake-bitten. Most of the main players on the team came up through the Sharks’ farm system and have never so much as made it to the promised land. No longer first round busts the Sharks add another another ring holder to Niclas Wallin and Dan Boyle.
- Niemi significantly outplayed Evgeni Nabokov during the regular season. Both in the playoffs and in the regular season it became apparent Niemi had what it took to beat the competition. Although Niemi never actually played Nabokov face-to-face we are willing to take the bet on him matching those numbers.
While the majority of HF Boards seems ready to implode, the Niemi sweepstakes seems to have come to an end. Rebound control and question marks aside the Sharks definitely improved their position between the pipes as they look to return to the Western Conference finals
