Antti Niemi Reportedly Agrees to Contract With Sharks

by Bruce Ciskie

Filed under: Blackhawks, Sharks, Western, NHL Free Agency

The San Jose Sharks seem to have developed an interesting off-ice rivalry with the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks. Earlier this offseason, San Jose gave an offer sheet to restricted free agent defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. The Blackhawks matched the offer, but the deal put them in a tough situation with the salary cap.

As a result, Chicago was forced to dump free agent goalie Antti Niemi when he got too much money in arbitration. The Blackhawks made Niemi an unrestricted free agent by walking away from the deal, and they signed veteran Marty Turco for less money to take his place.

Now, the Sharks have pounced. Reports have emerged that the team is on the verge of signing Niemi to a one-year deal.

 

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