Niemi Coming to San Jose!

For those of you who were excited to see what Nittymaki would bring to the table as the Sharks’ starting goalie this year, I’m happy to report you need not delude yourselves any longer.  While no deal has been officially announced, there appears to be merit behind the rumors of Antti Niemi coming to San Jose, with the announcement being postponed while the spotlight is still on Greg Jamison stepping down as the CEO (more to come on that later). The reports indicate that Niemi agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with the Sharks.

I admit I was curious to see what would happen with our current defense roster and Nittymaki in goal, but it was a morbid curiosity akin to watching NASCAR highlights in order to witness a dramatic and horrific accident. What makes this deal interesting is that Niemi is signing for less than the $2.75 million he was awarded in his arbitration case with the Hawks last month, and for only slightly more than the $1.5 million the Hawks offered him to stay with the club. Most analysts and pundits had ruled out San Jose as a landing spot for Niemi, citing the Sharks limited cap space, Niemi’s arbitration reward, the Nittymaki signing and our need of another defensemen as reasons why we could not conceivably make it work. Apparently Doug Wilson was not as confident in Nittymaki as he would have had us believe.

What does this mean for us?? We all saw what Niemi did in the playoffs last year, including a perfect 4-0 sweep of our beloved team. Many people said he didn’t play great or steal any games, and only played solid enough to keep Chicago in the games. Sharks fans know he played great against us, and I think this signing is a breath of fresh air after years of predictable Nabokov post-season struggles. It is nice to know we will have a young goalie in net who knows what it takes to go all the way, and who is less of a mystery than Nittymaki.  Let’s also not overlook his outstanding regular season last year of 26-7-4.

The fact still remains that we are in need of at least one more elite defenseman, and this signing all but guarantees that Doug Wilson has a trade in mind farther down the road this season.

In other news, Joe Thornton is engaging in contract negotiations with the Sharks for an extension. Every year at the height of post-season frustration I always hear Sharks fans calling for heads to roll, including talks of trading Thornton. Even if his intensity is questionable at times, the Sharks have never had a franchise player like Thornton and likely never will again. Pay the man, Wilson. ‘Nuff said

Lastly, I almost got excited about the Owen Nolan rumors that have been circulating, but then I remembered that these rumors circulate EVERY year as he always skates with the team in the offseason. He has a home down here, after all.  These rumors serve no purpose other than to tantalize us fanboys who would love Nolan to finish his career right where he belongs: as a Shark, preferably punching Chris Pronger in the face.

In closing, let me hear your answers to the most significant question of all: how high will Niemi go in our upcoming fantasy drafts?