The Niemi Blame Game
Al Cimaglia | Sep 03, 2010 | Comments 23
Finally Antti Niemi has a new home and it’s time to share some final thoughts on his departure.
There are many Blackhawk fans which believe every salary shedding roster move made this summer will work out just fine. Some find reasons to justify why certain players won’t be missed. Maybe all will be fine in the upcoming season but at some point almost everyone who has departed will be missed.
My energy won’t be spent on figuring out who is to blame for Niemi not staying in Chicago. My gut feeling from the outset was that for whatever reason the Hawks front offce didn’t value Niemi enough.
Ceratinly the cap space issue was a big problem but the decision by Hawks management probaby went beyond the dollars, which most likely could have been worked out. The Blackhawks brass decided on another direction which happened to also be a cheaper alternative.
Regardless of what lies ahead the reality is most of the Hawks players shipped out this summer happened out of necessity. Not retaining the services of a young Stanley Cup winning goalie isn’t the NHL norm. Niemi’s treatment was a bit different than those which were traded away.
Stan Bowman needed to fix his salary cap situation and was dead set not to ramp up the salaries of less experienced NHL players like Niklas Hjalmarsson and Niemi. Unfortunately for Bowman his hand was forced with Hjalmarsson, and may have had to choose between the two.
There are reasons why Niemi is gone and although it may come down to a matter of opinion for some, the rationalization isn’t very complex.
The explanation is really plain and simple, it is there for all to see. There isn’t a need for whispers, rumors or finger pointing. Niemi may have given everyone with an objective stance the best understanding of his situation.
Here is a Niemi quote from an August 16 article from the Chicago Tribune.
“It seemed like they already had a plan without me,” Niemi said without any hint of bitterness. “I don’t think I had another choice.”
Without a doubt those two statements jive with everything I had heard before the arbitration hearing.
Maybe Niemi’s agent Bill Zito overplayed his hand, but I don’t think he had a very strong hand to play. Once the arbitration award was given and the Hawks passed Zito was in a corner. He was fortunate to have a few options for Niemi, and in many ways getting him a $2 million contract with a top team was a big accomplishment.
Anyone who believes Zito wasn’t highly motivated to get Niemi signed before the arbitration hearing is off target. Every penny counted for Hawks’ management. Zito was well aware of that fact as well as the tight free agent market.
In the end the Blackhawks chose Marty Turco and the additional cap space his discounted salary created.
If Niemi’s arbitration award would have been closer to Jonathan Quick’s $1.8 million cap hit there is a good chance the Hawks would have anted up and Niemi wouldn’t be a Shark today.
But I won’t assume there was an official offer made to Zito by the Blackhawks better than the one he accepted from San Jose. Actually my belief falls inline with my source which indicated Niemi received no higher than a $1.5 million dollar contract offer from Chicago.
If Zito couldn’t negotiate a longer term deal with the Hawks it is understandable why he wouldn’t accept a one year $1.5 million contract.
As a fan my hope would have been Niemi would stay in Chicago for a long time, the same as some others who left this summer. What I won’t do is justify his departure by concluding an agent screwed up. Zito is probably not to be blamed and the same might be said for the Bowman’s.
Blackhawk management made a calculated decision, if they highly valued Niemi’s services he would still be with Chicago. The judgment to forsake Niemi and retain others will be discussed for a long time, especially if Antti proves he isn’t a one hit wonder.
Certainly there could be some blame assigned to both parties and if Hawk fans want to finger point they might have reason.
Maybe the general manager underestimated the offer sheet possibility for Hjalmarsson. Possibly Bowman shouldn’t be faulted and Hjalmarsson’s agent deserves the credit.
In any regard other franchises don’t fear retribution or lingering ill will from writing an offer sheet on a Blackhawk restricted free agent.
There is an upcoming Chicago RFA which will garner an offer sheet if not signed beforehand. Getting Brent Seabrook a new contract before July 1 was also a consideration in replacing Niemi with Turco.
The Dale Tallon era of Gabor sister jokes and business the NHL old fashioned way are gone. The Hawks new regime plays hard ball and doesn’t worry about making friends or burning bridges. So far their management style has helped to capture the ultimate prize. But make no mistake playing rough usually carries a cost.
Zito’s strongest play may have been to hope the Hawks would be publicly pressured to retain a young Stanley Cup winning goalie. I can’t remember another time when a Cup winning tender wasn’t kept on for the following season.
But times are different now, and the Hawks were in a precarious position.
If both Hjalmarsson and Niemi could have been re-signed for a total of $3.5 or $4 million the Hawks might have kept both. That is if the Blackhawk front office was going to sign any goal keeper for as much as $2 million for the 2010-2011 campaign.
It has to be considered the Hawks had a value assigned to their goal keeping position. In essence there was a good likelihood Niemi’s salary wasn’t going to fit.
If my info is correct, and it is plausible, Hjalmarsson was originally offered a new contract in the neighborhood of $1.3-$1.5 million. If not for the offer sheet, Hammer would have signed the Hawks supposed offer and been grateful his salary doubled. If that scenario played out maybe Niemi would have gotten at least a $2 million contract from the Blackhawks.
There is more to the Niemi story concerning the Zito and Bowman negotiations than we all know. Maybe there was some past history or personality conflicts which made for strained negotiations. Zito was known by some as a Tallon fan.
Much of the information which came my way about this saga appears to be accurate. At least the story unfolded in the same fashion as the script that was laid out to me.
If Zito was presented a three year $8 million dollar contract and passed it could be a big mistake. But I wouldn’t bet that actually happened.
My source said there was never a contract offer made to Niemi for over $1.5 million.
If you buy into my info, which was around before the arbitration hearing, Turco’s contract was already tucked away in Bowman’s desk drawer. That basically meant the Hawks were backstopped and going through the arbitration process was more a formality than anything else.
In any regard it is highly unlikely Niemi was offered a three year contract in the neighborhood of $8 million after the offer sheet was written by the Sharks.
It was obvious to me, especially after the way he played in the Conference Finals that Evgeni Nabokov was not going to remain a Shark. After the Hawks eliminated San Jose there were some interesting rumblings around.
Some of the Sharks’ hierarchy thought the difference in the series was Niemi. They felt if the goal keepers could have been switched the outcome would have been different. The same notion was discussed by those involved with the Hawks.
Niemi did not have a great series against the Flyers but he still outplayed his counterpart. He was decidedly better than every goal tender he faced in the playoff run except for Pekka Rinne. Niemi might have been running on fumes in the Finals as he was under a heavy workload once Cristobal Huet was put into dry dock.
If Doug Wilson really targeted Niemi from early on, he could have come back with an offer sheet on him. As it turned out it was to Wilson’s advantage to let things play out the way they have.
The word going around this summer was the Sharks first need was a top pairing defenseman to fill the void of the retired Rob Blake. They improved there goal tending but still have a hole on the blueline.
The Sharks acquired a good young goalie for a reasonable price and didn’t have to give anything up. For those wondering why Niemi wasn’t traded before the arbitration hearing there are reasons.
Primarily there wasn’t any need for a team to give something up to the cap strapped Hawks. There was also little motivation for Bowman to strike a deal for a high round draft pick and put together a trade with a potential playoff opponent.
I wouldn’t want to have trading Niemi for a sixth round draft pick on my GM resume. The Hawks young manager may have felt the same. Also there was a slim chance Niemi’s arbitration award would have squeezed into the Hawks budget.
Popular opinion going around the league after Wilson’s offer sheet was the Hawks would have to trade Patrick Sharp. Many NHL insiders figured the Hawks would keep their Cup winning goalie.
After Bowman publicly stated Sharp wasn’t going to be traded over the summer, Niemi’s fate was practically sealed. Once the normally tight lipped Bowman made his Sharp no trade proclamation his cell phone wasn’t ringing nearly as often.
Given the choice Blackhawk management was going to choose Hjalmarsson and others over Niemi. In the end that is exactly what they did.
Hawk fans can blame who they want as this topic will be discussed for years to come no matter how well Turco performs. The bottom line is Niemi wasn’t valued as highly by the Chicago front office as many thought.
Some believe everyone can be replaced. Blackhawk fans are hoping so.
blackhawkswin@comcast.net
Filed Under: Al Cimaglia • Chicago Blackhawks • Featured • NHL
Excellent account Al. We all know it’s a business and, really, nobody is to fault here. If it’s true that there were more offers of significantly greater dollars, then it is clear that Zito and Niemi chose the Sharks with an eye towards next year when he becomes a unrestricted free agent. That is another calculated risk on Zito’s part. Recent history (‘hawks aside) has shown that teams are not going to shell out big bucks for goaltenders.
The salad days of the salary cap era are over and there’s apt to be much more fiscal restraint shown with player salaries as many teams have painted themselves into a corner.
Thanks…
Forced austerity has found its way to the NHL.
The last time that the Cup winning goalie was on a new team to start next season was 2006, when Khabibulin went from Tampa to the Blackhawks. Granted, there was the lockout in between, but that’s still the last time that happened.
You are correct mostly…Although not the same with lockout and new salary cap coming.
Also not 26 yrs. old, and wasn’t an arb. decision and Khabby wanted way more dollars.
But you are correct in saying he was gone after the Cup.
How did that turn out for Tampa Bay?
Thanks for a very interesting read (as always). You give voice to a number of suspicions I’ve had. I doubt we’ll ever know, but I’m awfully curious why — if you’re right (and I really think you are) — the Hawks front office didn’t seem to value Niemi highly. On-the-ice factors aside, not only was he popular with fans, but he seemed well-liked and genuinely respected by teammates. He wasn’t going to be a locker room problem, a PR embarassment, or a head-case.
Yes, he’s short on NHL experience, but he’s young and, assuming he continues to improve (given the work ethic he supposedly has, I feel like that potential is definitely there), could have several exceptional years in front of him still.
I’m excited to see what Turco will bring. But this situation leaves a strange taste in my mouth.
On-the-ice factors aside, not only was he popular with fans, but he seemed well-liked and genuinely respected by teammates. He wasn’t going to be a locker room problem, a PR embarassment, or a head-case.
All true…
Maybe it is just part of the Scotty effect of not needing a top goalie to have succcess. That’s a popular reason..
But I don’t know what the actually tipping point was…But the point of the blog, and you seem to have gotten it, was the money/cap space was not an impossible obstacle to overcome.
Thanks for the comment.
Maybe I missed it, but the one point you DON’T seem to make is what you think Bowman should have done differently? If you’d have preferred Niemi be kept, who should have gone instead?
You start out saying:
“There are many Blackhawk fans which believe every salary shedding roster move made this summer will work out just fine. Some find reasons to justify why certain players won’t be missed. Maybe all will be fine in the upcoming season but at some point almost everyone who has departed will be missed.”
I don’t know if you directed that at the casual fan (in which case you’d be wrong because those fans are freaking out at ‘losing half the team’).. or at the hardcore fan who picks over every roster move (in which case you’d be wrong because you act like Bowman somehow had a choice not to shed players).
The Capocalypse happened, and most all of the serious fans came to terms with what had to happen within a month of the parade. It’s not that people are happy about losing Ladd, Versteeg, Niemi, Buff, etc. – the team remains tight against the cap despite Rocky agreeing to eat $11.2m of Huet’s contract.
The serious fans are satisfied because (generally) they think that Bowman did the best that could be done under the circumstances. Both in keeping the core players, and for getting useful prospects and draft picks while trading away players any GM who reads CapGeek knew we had to shed.
“Some believe everyone can be replaced. Blackhawk fans are hoping so.”
What would you have Bowman do different?
You took the blog a different way than I would have hoped.
This sitaution played out as I though it would…
Bowman had a choice he just didn’t choose to keep Niemi.
I’m writing an opinion as to what I think happened and why…I DID NOT SET OUT TO BLAME ANYONE.
….My energy won’t be spent on figuring out who is to blame for Niemi not staying in Chicago. My gut feeling from the outset was that for whatever reason the Hawks front offce didn’t value Niemi enough….
The Hawks chose to not re-sign Niemi because they are comfortable with a cheaper alternative.
Hawk fans will need to hope the new additions are adequate replacements for those that are gone….We all should agree..I just pointed it out, so don’t shoot the messenger…lol.
On a side note….I would rather have Niemi for $2 mill than Turco for $1.3..but the blog was not to provide my roster choices.
Reply to My Post: “I DID NOT SET OUT TO BLAME ANYONE.”
Original Post: “My energy won’t be spent on figuring out who is to blame for Niemi not staying in Chicago. My gut feeling from the outset was that for whatever reason the Hawks front offce didn’t value Niemi enough.”
Sure sounds to me like you’re laying the groundwork to blame Bowman if the Hawks don’t repeat (or at least if Turco does not perform up to your standards). Sorry.
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I have no idea of your past writings, I got here via Puck Daddy linking your piece. Mostly my objection was your (I believe mistaken) indictment of Hawks fans for.. actually, you didn’t address that part of my reply. Anyhow, it sort of came off like you’re the level head in the room, and most all the rest of Hawk fandom are unaware that the team probably isn’t the hands-down best in the Western Conference anymore? (I’m sure that wasn’t your intention, just the vibe I got from it.)
That point aside, I’m not sure there ever was a time when there was a $2m offer from the Hawks to Niemi – they could have just managed it after Hjammer’s offer sheet was accepted, but CapGeek is telling me that the $700,000 difference means that we’d be playing a man short on team depth all year.
The Hawks are currently at 21 players, $1.5m cap space left not counting Huet. So that extra money you’d pay Niemi means carrying 22 instead of 23 all year. (I’m not in a position to say how important it is to carry the extra players for matchups, last minute injuries and as practice bodies.) Even with Turco in goal, I imagine the team will carry 22 and leave a million or so of cap space free for injury/trade contingencies.
Guess what it comes down to, if you’re really trying to say you don’t blame anyone.. well, the fans know that the salary cap (and big raises due Toews, Kane and Keith) meant that players had to leave. If you’re saying Niemi will be missed, I didn’t hear a lot of people clamoring to get rid of him. Or Steeger, or Ladd. (Buff, I think there was a fair number who thought he was going to remain inconsistent, no great loss.)
Maybe the thing was that Puck Daddy linking to you, I was looking for more than “stuff happens, bummer”. I hope Turco and the Hawks have a great season, too.
No offense taken and pretty much what I say usualy stands on its own merit…which you are not familar with.
Although I have been a Hawks fans all my life I don’t write a fan blog. Not that there is anything wrong with that, it’s just not for me and hasn’t been for the past four seasons.
I try to write an informed objective opinion, hopefully you will stop by again.
You might not agree but maybe my thoughts will show another side to an issue you might not have considered.
People see what they want to see and hear what they want to hear…including myself. That’s not an indictment of Hawk fans…it is part of human nature to have a bias.
Thanks for the insight Al. Sassone also has the Hawks as offering $1.5M so combined with your source let’s assume it’s true. That’s only 500k less than what he signed for – to me it’s a shame it couldn’t have worked out with Niemi in Chi for $2M b/c I think he’s more than a one hit wonder, but maybe given the dynamics of the negotiations 1 yr. at $2M wasn’t a solution at the time.
Who knows how it all really played out with Zito and Bowman but my feeling is that the Hawks would have been a better team with Niemi at $2M than Turco at $1.3M and then they would have also been in a position to keep Niemi longer term. But I’m not the GM and maybe that was never a real option and I could be wrong about the Hawks with/without Niemi. In fact I hope I am wrong and that Turco plays as well or better than Niemi did last year IN THE PLAYOFFS and the Hawks repeat.
But I wouldn’t look forward to playing San Jose in the playoffs – Niemi was a difference maker in that series IMO although if the Hawks were to beat SJ in the playoffs I would tip my hat to Stan and say ‘you were right’.
I agree but those that decide wanted to go a different less expensive route….As I say the money alone shouldn’t have been a deal breaker…
but…
Al, it sounds like your “source” for this is Mr. Zito himself, or probably one of his assistants. The agent comes off looking very good in your article, when many hardcore fans are wondering if he didn’t badly overestimate Niemi’s value around the league.
And I would agree with JS, that you seem to offer no suggestion as to how Bowman could have kept Niemi without losing a core player. As it is, the Hawks have arguably two of the best forward lines in the league (those being Toews/Kane/anyone else and Sharp/Hossa/anyone else) and two of the best defensive pairings in Keith/Seabrook and Hjalmarsson/Campbell (Campbell is admittedly not a great D-Man, but as a puck-moving D-Man, he’s one of the best). Add to that, Bolland who came of age during the playoffs and Brouwer who was a 20-goal scorer last season, both of whom are cap-friendly contracts. So who else do you move?
Bowman is clearly following the Detroit pattern which is that goal-tending doesn’t matter as long as you have solid team defense. The offer sheet hurt this process more than anything, but Zito could have worked out a deal with the Hawks anyway. The Hawks were the cash-strapped ones–Zito knew that. (Even worse than losing Niemi was losing Ladd–that’s the one that knowledgeable hockey fans understood as the real blow to the team.)
I have never met or spoke to Zito…But my info on this saga was very good….the history is in past blogs.
The Blackhawk main line Kool Aiders always seem to blame the agent when a player isn’t kept.
I also pointed out the Bowman’s are not to be blamed..and the point of this piece was to lay out what happend and my opinion as to why.
There was no intent to give Bowman any suggestions.
If you wanted to spend the time…
Go back and read my blogs…I was in the minority as I thought the multi year $3.5-4 million deals other were writing about were lunacy.
My gues was Niemi would get a $2.3 mill award.
As I stated in the blog…Zito wasn’t in agreat position.
The arbitration could only work against him in this situation…and he would have been naive to think otherwise. Only a really low award would have been matched by the Hawks.
The Hawks weren’t going to pay Niemi $2 mill or more…
So as I say blame who you want….They made a calaculated decision to go with Turco…And I hope he has a great season.
“The Blackhawk main line Kool Aiders always seem to blame the agent when a player isn’t kept.”
… whew!
I don’t know where the information this author is quoting, but Bill Zito things his players are better than the NHL.
He was offered a deal in the neighborhood of 7-million for three years for Antti and he thought Antti was worth 4-million a year.
Don’t feel sorry for Bill Zito. He is a mean person to everyone in the world except for his clients. He treats his employees as if they were the biggest dirt on the earth and treats everyone in the world like crap except for his small client list.
I have done business with Bill Zito and I can tell you – He is a selfish piece of crap who deserves everything bad that the press has to say about him. He is a compulsive liar and not a good human being.
Why so many players stick with him is because they don’t see how he is such a bad guy. This guy should be in jail not praised for what he did to guys like Antti Niemi this summer.
Correct me if I’m wrong but I think Al’s point is that if Stan thought Niemi were that much better than Turco he might have retained him, maybe for $2M or thereabouts. That’s what he could have done differently. (I’ve been on capgeek many times and the Hawks could have filled out a good roster with Niemi at $2M).
But Niemi was only offered $1.5M (if two pretty credible writers Al and Tim Sassone are believed) which is really the same money that Turco got at $1.3M.
So the thinking must have been from the Hawks that Turco is basically Niemi’s equal and in that case it’s a no brainer to take the extra cap space that Turco’s contract offered, what with the Hawks so tightly sqeezed.
As this year unfolds we’ll see if Turco is in fact Niemi’s equal. I’ll give the Bowmans with their superior hockey knowledge the benefit of the doubt for now but I for one will watching this closely. After all nobody’s perfect.
LVC,
Exactly
Al, this is a tough subject to take on, and once again you’ve treaded the fine line of objectivity.
Fans are passionate about their teams and their opinions, and very few writers try to get beyond the passion to examine different and often conflicting perspectives.
You have done an excellent job of providing all of us with the information you have been able to discover.
Whatever happened with Antti Niemi, this episode reminds us hockey is a business.
In the NHL, the balance sheet, thanks to the salary cap, determines how GMs must shape and reshape their teams.
Thanks to Stan Bowman, the possible ‘cap crisis’ he faced a year ago has been managed…and the Blackhawks can get with defending their title, with a pretty good team.
And to think a year ago, the ‘experts’ said “the Hawks won’t win because their goaltending will let them down”.
Shows you what the experts know.
Will Marty Turco be as good, or better than Antti was? Will the Bickells, Dowells, Stalbergs, Skilles et al replace the departed (many of whom were often criticized, particularly Versteeg and Byfuglien, for careless or even lazy play)? Will some new face surprise with exceptional performances?
That’s what will make this coming season exciting.
Thanks Dave for appreciating the objectivity.
You have followed the trail and can make your own objective conclusions.
As I stated in the blog Niemi gave a great insight although this quote wasn’t brought up in many blogs and comments I read upon his departure.
The word objective is key…
Niemi may have given everyone with an objective stance the best understanding of his situation.
“It seemed like they already had a plan without me,” Niemi said without any hint of bitterness. “I don’t think I had another choice.”
I got the same vibe when I doubted Havlat was coming back.
I didn’t want it to happen and people were pissed when I wrote it but…
A decision was made to go down a different path and hopefully the results will be very good.
THe young Hawks will be very motivated and so will Turco.
I agree Al and Dave – Turco and the Hawks will both be motivated. Toews and co. I’m sure will be dead set on defending their championship and it will (again) be a very exciting season watching not only the new players but also if Toews/Kane/Bolland/Hammer/Brouwer/Seabrook and even Hossa and Kopecky can take it to another level. It seems to me there is head room there.
I’m notgoing to underestimate this team. The Hawks have made a habit of making those who underestimate them look foolish. The Turco signing does mean they could add a significant player (probably at the trade deadline) to fill a void where the young players aren’t quite there, adding to what is an excellent core both in talent and leadership.
Despite Niemi leaving (not my preference) I think Bowman has done an outstanding job this summer and if Turco plays as well as Niemi, a brilliant job. (We’ll see on that final point).
My hope was that Bowman could keep the Hawks in a position to be a legitimate threat to do was hasn’t been done very often in recent years and that is repeat and looking at the roster I think he’s done that. Whether or not they are the favourites doesn’t matter at this stage of the season- they are in the mix and when the playoffs come they’ll have a decent shot at it. If some of these young guys can contribute in a significant way they might even pull off the repeat.
Whatever happens it’ll be exciting – can’t wait for the season to start.
Thankfully all these questions about whether Turco will be better than Niemi can be answered now that NHL11 is released!
The Blackhawks will announce a contract extension for Joel Queeneville at 2:30 CST., during a UC press conference.