It seemed like the perfect move to many.
Following a sweep in the 2010 Western Conference Finals at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks, the San Jose Sharks set about dealing with an offseason full of high-profile free agents, trying to revamp their roster for another shot at the Stanley Cup.
Their first move was to part with chronic playoff underperformer Evgeni Nabokov in goal, and use the $5 million so displaced to help secure Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski long-term. This allowed the Sharks to keep a talented and dangerous core of forwards intact, but did not address a defense which was already a liability prior to the departure of Rob Blake, or the fact that young Thomas Greiss sat as the primary option at goaltender.
Few were satisfied by the early signing of Antero Niittymaki, a goaltender who earned MVP honors and a silver medal in the Torino Olympics in 2006, but had struggled mightily in NHL play.
That would change just prior to training camp, as an odd sequence of events put defending Stanley Cup Champion goaltender Antti Niemi on the market. The Blackhawks refused to pay the $2.75 million awarded Niemi in arbitration, making him an ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Patrick Goulding II
Niemi’s Signing with San Jose Sharks Proving Antti-Climactic?
October 23rd, 2010 by Patrick Goulding II Leave a reply »
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