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Antti Niemi opts for salary arbitration with Chicago

Image (1) Niemi10-thumb-250x362-13299.jpg for post 2029

While other salary arbitration filings have gone down today, one of the more interesting filings today was done by Chicago’s Stanley Cup winning goaltender Antti Niemi.

Niemi’s Chicago-based agent Bill Zito, who confirmed the filing, and Hawks general manager Stan Bowman continue to discuss various opportunities for long-term and short-term deals.

A date for the arbitration hearing for a one-year deal is expected to be established in the next few weeks.

Arbitration is an interesting situation when it happens in hockey dealings. While it’s a bit of a more sensible thing when it happens in Major League Baseball, the NHL process has a reputation for being cutthroat and nasty. For instance, there’s a bit of a legendary story dating back to the late 90s when it comes to the past dealings of former Isles general manager Mike Milbury going through arbitration with one-time netminder Tommy Salo.

Islanders G.M. Mike Milbury, as only Mad Mike can do, spewed vitriol against his budding goalie. In Milbury’s mind, Salo’s mental approach was suspect, and he was in danger of losing his job to a rookie the next season. Milbury also said Salo was one of the worst-conditioned athletes on the team, and his performance was inconsistent.

Salo was reduced to tears. He won 23 games the next season, but the relationship was never the same, and he was dealt to the Oilers in March 1999.

That’s not to say that other general managers are as rough and nasty as Milbury when it comes to arbitration, but the NHL process basically asks for the general manager to make arguments as to why he shouldn’t pay the player what the player is asking for. It’s a bad scene because you’re just asking for problems in the future when it comes to contract negotiations. By the way, the rookie that Salo was in danger of eventually losing his job to? 1997 first-round pick Roberto Luongo, who Milbury later traded to the Florida Panthers to make room to draft Rick DiPietro first overall in the 2000 NHL draft.

Obviously, Chicago GM Stan Bowman figures to be a bit more savvy than Mad Mike was and expecting Niemi and Bowman to go to arbitration might be perilous either way. Chicago could argue that the free agent goalie market dictates that Niemi shouldn’t get a huge contract because no elite goaltender has signed a contract and the ones that have signed for very reasonable deals (like Michael Leighton did). We polled PHT readers a few weeks ago to judge what you thought Niemi’s value was and the going rate was between $2 million and $3 million dollars. Those numbers could prove to be accurate. You guys are pretty smart after all.

Niemi can counter right back saying that he’s the only goalie this off-season that won the Stanley Cup last year and that he’s at least worth more and is more valuable than the other goalie on the roster in Cristobal Huet. Should it come to that, the Blackhawks had better hope that the judge doesn’t know much about hockey or else you can back the Brinks truck up at Antti Niemi’s house.

Chicago, in the meantime, should be trying to get Niemi locked away for a long-term deal of some variety. Should they only sign him to a one-year deal, Niemi is set to become an unrestricted free agent next year because he’ll be 27 years-old then.