2. Antti Niemi
Antti Niemi’s time in teal was a roller coaster – a ride that started off with tremendous loops and exceptional acceleration. However, like with every ride, there comes the finish line and Niemi’s story fell just short of a happy ending.
Niemi gave the Sharks hope when he joined Team Teal after winning the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, but that slowly dissipated by not satisfying expectations in the postseason.
During his five-year career with the San Jose Sharks, Niemi enjoyed some regular-season prosperity. Niemi went 123-69-28 with 20 shutouts and putting up a remarkable 2.40 GAA and .917 save percentage during the regular season with San Jose. His worst goals against average was 2.59, which came in his final year with the Sharks. Not too shabby!
Niemi could have made a strong case for the number one spot if it wasn’t for his poor performance in the postseason. The Finnish netminder has a record of 19-20 and his GAA jumped to 2.79 through tough stretches in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Niemi skated with the Sharks until he was traded to Dallas for a late draft pick in 2015. The 35-year-old goaltender currently serves as a backup to Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens.