With Kari Lehtonen in place as their nominal No. 1 goalie, the Dallas Stars on Saturday doubled down in acquiring the rights to Antti Niemi.
It's not that the Stars don't believe in Lehtonen. It's just they believe there is need for two quality goaltenders .
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Now comes the interesting situation. If the Stars sign Niemi before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, they will have a goalie tandem that soaks up $10 million or more in salary-cap money. They see the benefits outweighing the cost.
GM Jim Nill made a low-risk move in sending a seventh-round pick to the San Jose Sharks to acquire Niemi's rights. And since, says, the Stars likely have been talking with Niemi's handlers, it seems they made the deal in the belief a contract can be reached. In fact, reports suggested a deal was in place.
Antti is a proven goaltender, who has played and succeeded at the highest levels, Nill said in a Stars release. Hes one of the hardest working goalies out there and we look forward to working towards an agreement.
Niemi will be more expensive than other options the Stars explored, including . The , and other goalies were peddled during the NHL Entry Draft. Among them: , whom the Ottawa Senators dealt to the Buffalo Sabres.
Niemi has what Lehtonen lacks: a Stanley Cup, with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. And while he had OK numbers with the Sharks this season, he is seen as inconsistent. For the record: 31-23-7 with a 2.59 goals against average, a .914 save percentage and five shutouts.
Neither the Stars nor the Sharks made the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Lehtonen had been good for the Stars before a falloff last season. So here's how this might work. Both goalies are Finns, both are 31, and they could benefit from a partnership. If not, the Stars will look again at prospect Jack Campbell and Anders Lindback, who was Lehtonen's backup.
Karis still an elite goalie, Nill said, via . Were in a tough situation with our travel. We probably travel as much as anybody in the league, back-to-back games, I really think its becoming a two-goalie league now.
Karis the first one to admit he had a tough year last year. Hes going to bounce back. Hes been working on changing his conditioning over the summer, and competitions healthy. Our goal is to win the Cup and this is going to help us get there.
The Sharks also were after a goalie in trade, reportedly looking at Talbot or Vancouver Canucks backup , who went to the Carolina Hurricanes. Now they have a problem. Alex Stalock and Troy Grosenick are the best goalies on their roster, but they have combined for 39 career NHL starts. Either the Sharks will pursue a trade or pick through a free-agent market.
Niemi was one of two goalies on available earlier this week. The best of the cla s is Devan Dubnyk, who was surprisingly good for the Minnesota Wild. And on Saturday, the Wild said they were close to a deal with Dubnyk.
It's not that the Stars don't believe in Lehtonen. It's just they believe there is need for two quality goaltenders .
MORE: | |
Now comes the interesting situation. If the Stars sign Niemi before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, they will have a goalie tandem that soaks up $10 million or more in salary-cap money. They see the benefits outweighing the cost.
GM Jim Nill made a low-risk move in sending a seventh-round pick to the San Jose Sharks to acquire Niemi's rights. And since, says, the Stars likely have been talking with Niemi's handlers, it seems they made the deal in the belief a contract can be reached. In fact, reports suggested a deal was in place.
Antti is a proven goaltender, who has played and succeeded at the highest levels, Nill said in a Stars release. Hes one of the hardest working goalies out there and we look forward to working towards an agreement.
Niemi will be more expensive than other options the Stars explored, including . The , and other goalies were peddled during the NHL Entry Draft. Among them: , whom the Ottawa Senators dealt to the Buffalo Sabres.
Niemi has what Lehtonen lacks: a Stanley Cup, with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. And while he had OK numbers with the Sharks this season, he is seen as inconsistent. For the record: 31-23-7 with a 2.59 goals against average, a .914 save percentage and five shutouts.
Neither the Stars nor the Sharks made the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Lehtonen had been good for the Stars before a falloff last season. So here's how this might work. Both goalies are Finns, both are 31, and they could benefit from a partnership. If not, the Stars will look again at prospect Jack Campbell and Anders Lindback, who was Lehtonen's backup.
Karis still an elite goalie, Nill said, via . Were in a tough situation with our travel. We probably travel as much as anybody in the league, back-to-back games, I really think its becoming a two-goalie league now.
Karis the first one to admit he had a tough year last year. Hes going to bounce back. Hes been working on changing his conditioning over the summer, and competitions healthy. Our goal is to win the Cup and this is going to help us get there.
The Sharks also were after a goalie in trade, reportedly looking at Talbot or Vancouver Canucks backup , who went to the Carolina Hurricanes. Now they have a problem. Alex Stalock and Troy Grosenick are the best goalies on their roster, but they have combined for 39 career NHL starts. Either the Sharks will pursue a trade or pick through a free-agent market.
Niemi was one of two goalies on available earlier this week. The best of the cla s is Devan Dubnyk, who was surprisingly good for the Minnesota Wild. And on Saturday, the Wild said they were close to a deal with Dubnyk.