The San Jose Sharks have already signed a free agent goalie to replace long time starter Evgeni Nabokov. His name is Antero Niittymaki.
And if you talk to Sharks GM Doug Wilson, he will tell you that the organization has already found "their guy".
But with the news that the Chicago Blackhawks have let their Stanley Cup winning netminder, Antti Niemi, walk as an unrestricted free agent, the thought of seeing him in teal next season is extremely intriguing.
Now, while some fans claim that Niemi looked better than he actually is because of the extremely talented defensive group Chicago had last year, another group of fans is quick to point out that Cristobal Huet struggled in the Blackhawks' net with the same defensive corps.
No matter how good the defense was in front of him, props have to be given to a rookie goaltender who was able to put the following numbers:
Regular season: 26-7-4 record, 2.25 GAA, .912 SV %, seven SHO
That is correct—Niemi posted just as many shutouts as regulation losses.
Conversely, Chicago's prior No. 1 goalie before Niemi took over posted the following regular season n ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Andy Bensch
San Jose Sharks: Could Antti Niemi Become Their Ken Norton Jr.?
August 3rd, 2010 by Andy Bensch Leave a reply »
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