Antti Niemi Heads To Arbitration
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Written by nhl.com
Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 July 2010 08:35 )
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Antti Niemi's future in Chicago remains in question as the clock ticks down to his scheduled arbitration hearing.
The fact that the Blackhawks and Niemi still haven't hammered out a deal to keep the Stanley Cup-winning goalie in the Windy City likely means the two sides will meet before an arbitrator Thursday morning in a Toronto hotel conference room, where Niemi will be awarded a contract that the team can choose to accept or reject. The two sides reportedly exchanged their respective briefs and filed them to the arbitrator on Tuesday, per CBA rules.
Niemi and the Hawks can avoid arbitration by agreeing to a contract prior to the start of the hearing.
It all boils down to the $59.4 million salary cap for the 2010-11 season -- a number that has led the Blackhawks to strip away several players from their Cup-winning roster. |
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"Most arbitrations are a disagreement in a player's worth," Niemi's agent, Bill Zito, told ESPNChicago.com. "In this case, it's about managing the cap."
If the Hawks accept the terms of the arbitrator's decision and sign Niemi, they will need to go searching for more salary cap relief. Niemi's reward will likely exceed the $800,000 he reportedly made last season and the Blackhawks are already $403,256 over the salary cap, according to capgeek.com.
Should the Hawks reject the arbitrator's decision and opt not to sign Niemi, the 26-year-old Finnish goalie would immediately become an unrestricted free agent.
Niemi would join a list of UFA goalies that already includes veterans Marty Turco and Jose Theodore, but it's possible that those two have been in a holding pattern as NHL general managers looking for goalie help wait to find out if Niemi will become available.
Another option for the Blackhawks is to sign Niemi and then look to trade him. That would give them the choice of signing a goalie such as Turco or Theodore for less money than Niemi was awarded, or perhaps going with a tandem of Cristobal Huet and Corey Crawford, a prospect who has played four AHL seasons and a handful of NHL games.
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Tags: Antti Niemi Trade Rumors Chicago Blackhawks NHL Hockey Trade Rumours
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NHL Trade Rumor Created on Thursday, 29 July 2010 08:32 |
