Sharks resign Niemi to a 4 year deal

[Cmon_WTF]

You guys are nucking futs.

This is Niemi we're talking about, right?

He remains an unproven, average goalie despite his recent mostly-solid streak.

I fail to see how that is worth $4M/year.

This must mean that none of the goalies the Sharks drafted in recent years are any good (read: NHL material) and, given what else is out there and how much they'll demand next year, this was the best move to make.

But Niemi still sucks. I can't believe so many of you are thinking he's so great all of a sudden.

Doesn't mean that at all IMO. It means that Stalock was the only one close to being NHL ready and his receint injury has put that readiness in question. It wouldn't have been smart for Wilson to go into the offseason with what amounted to an injury riddeled Niitymaki and a questionmark of weather or not Stalock will even be recoved enough to play. He would have been forced to either win a bidding war for Vokoun or Bryzgalov (The two potential UFA's I consider better than Niemi) or bring in another inferior platoon goalie and hope it's enough to get the team through until Stalock was ready.

Doug paid a premium to insure he has one less hole to address this coming offseason. The contract is $500k-$800k higher and one year longer than I thought he might get but that's not too bad considering the situation Wilson was in.

 

[bdave]

You guys are nucking futs.

This is Niemi we're talking about, right?

He remains an unproven, average goalie despite his recent mostly-solid streak.

I fail to see how that is worth $4M/year.

This must mean that none of the goalies the Sharks drafted in recent years are any good (read: NHL material) and, given what else is out there and how much they'll demand next year, this was the best move to make.

But Niemi still sucks. I can't believe so many of you are thinking he's so great all of a sudden.

What do you want to see then rares? This guy is going to be better than Nabokov if he isn't already. He can see through screens, stop impossible shots, has to be one of the most if not the most confident goalie in the league, he can move on his knees faster than anyone. I don't see why you can't give this guy credit, he's killing it out there. he must be doing something right.

 

[koblix]

I think it's a great sign. If we try to sign an UFA in the off season, it would be at least $4M a year.

 

[rares]

I don't know; I guess I just am not *that* impressed with his skills so I can't give him enough credit to justify the extension he got.

For all we know, his recent stretch of 20 games or whatever could be a fluke just like last season's stretch was.

But hey, I'm not a goalie expert so the organization and/or goalie coaches must really like what they see, I guess?

I was all in agreement with Korky and others that Niemi has improved a lot from earlier in the season (with his rebound control, at least) and the defense got used to his style of play and that helps make him look better too... but still, this is a lot of money to dump into someone with such little experience. And I don't care that he has a ring. He was horrible in all playoff series except vs. the Sharks (who make average goalies look great in the playoffs); his offense bailed him out every game. He was a non-factor in winning the cup.

 

[SJVP408]

You guys are nucking futs.

This is Niemi we're talking about, right?

He remains an unproven, average goalie despite his recent mostly-solid streak.

I fail to see how that is worth $4M/year.

This must mean that none of the goalies the Sharks drafted in recent years are any good (read: NHL material) and, given what else is out there and how much they'll demand next year, this was the best move to make.

But Niemi still sucks. I can't believe so many of you are thinking he's so great all of a sudden.

I gotta side more with you, rares, than the notion that this is a great deal. It is a great deal IF the Niemi of January and February is the real Niemi. If he's just surging, like the rest of the Sharks, and will come back down to earth in April, then this deal sucks. It'll take more than a great two months to make me a believer of this guy. Hope he keeps it up.

 

[Nimesis23]

I do think if they were going to sign him long term then now was the time to do so, but I agree with you both that I'm not really sold on him. I was impressed with how he played in the Chicago series last year, but I haven't been really blown away with his play this season. I hear everyone in the Sharks media and a lot of people on these boards talking about how great he is, and I see his mobility and such but I still don't like how he plays so far back in the net and I have yet to be really blown away by how he's played in a single game. (Although the Red Wings game performance was pretty good). I guess we're going to see whether this pans out...

 

[Cbrower91]

His trend in the last 2 season is he gets hot and stays that way after about the 25 game mark. I say the reason it happened last year was spent with him getting adjusted to the north american rink size. The year prior he was playing in europe on bigger rinks.

This season he missed alot of camp, and adjustments to his new team. He is clearly the real deal

 

[Likewall32]

You guys are nucking futs.

This is Niemi we're talking about, right?

He remains an unproven, average goalie despite his recent mostly-solid streak.

I fail to see how that is worth $4M/year.

This must mean that none of the goalies the Sharks drafted in recent years are any good (read: NHL material) and, given what else is out there and how much they'll demand next year, this was the best move to make.

But Niemi still sucks. I can't believe so many of you are thinking he's so great all of a sudden.

I was waiting for it until I had to chime in on my own but Rares did it for me... For real, how the fuck ar epeople saying hes
a proven workhorse" "hes capible of stealing games" all this mumbo jumbo BS that I dont even feel like relooking at to quote. Do any of the people posting not realize that he has sucked half of the season and pulls a Patrick laLime 16 game streak out of his ass and that deserves a $2mil raise?? I mean really? 16 good games earns guys $2mil extra now, yet Niittys good first half of the season falls on blind eyes & deaf ears?... Really?? This workhorse shit & being able to handle the load, ummm do you not realize he has NEVER been a fulltime No1 goalie and this is pretty much the longest streak he's played?? No one knows if hes gonna burn out... he split last season with Huet, and his split this season. How the fuck does 16 games prove you can handle the load? And dont even argue me with he played all last years playoffs games cause Ill throw the SCF finals in your face in which he sucked asshole in and the only series he was great in was the one vs SJ... It cracks me up that people bitched bout Nabbys 6mil, which he was willing to cut to stay in SJ, and now they have Nitty & Niemi at 6mil... There was no money saved in this planning.. All it did was slap Greiss & Stalock in the face saying, yea, sorry go somewhere else or we'll jus bury you in the system...

Shit man with this thinking, Setoguchi should demand $5mil this offseason, I mean, fuck, he's been pretty hot for the past 2 weeks.. Isnt that how it works?

 

[Likewall32]

What do you want to see then rares? This guy is going to be better than Nabokov if he isn't already. He can see through screens, stop impossible shots, has to be one of the most if not the most confident goalie in the league, he can move on his knees faster than anyone. I don't see why you can't give this guy credit, he's killing it out there. he must be doing something right.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAH its funny how soon people forget the things Nabby did for this club... Remember when Steve Sheilds went on a tear and everyone was swinging from his dick at first... Common man, people seem to get boners and short term memory loss when guys get hot. Everyone goes on hot streaks, it doesnt mean they are good... When at the end of his playing days, Niemi sits #2 in wins with his era (Like Nabby ala Broduer) then you can say "He's already better then so & so" But 16 games? Get your head outa your ass, his rebounds are still as bouncy as a super ball in a concrete cell... That doesnt make you a good goalie, that still remains his D is bailing him out on his own fuck ups... And hes not really moving faster on his knees then anyone its cause he HUGE doesnt have to move that much to cover areas!! And he's ALWAYS on his knees...

I feel like im arugeing with the UFC idiot fanboys that think Brock Lesnar is the best ever, when in reality he sucks ass, he's just big...

In 3 years if he proved himself then by all means Ill admit it, but please dont say he's already better then Nabby after 1 good streak, you just make yourself look the idiots that said LaLime was the next GOAT....

 

[sjrules99]

Its true that niemi doesnt have 5 or 10 years of great track record to draw on. No one is arguing that. if he did have 5 great years and a cup, no way he'd sign for under 4M. it would cost 6+ at least for a goalie with that kind of pedigree.

This is a simple case of paying for potential on the basis of a short, but highly successful career thus far. Niemi won a cup. he's looked very good this season after a slightly rocky start adjusting to a new team. the skaters have infinite confidence in him.

however, it's still important to remember that this is a moveable deal. 3.8M is very flexible for a cup winning goalie. Like I said before, there are only 2 other cup winning goalies out there in their primes in ward and fleury. I am sure that no matter what happens, if dougie wants to give stalock the number 1 job in a year or two, he can move niemi to a team like philly, new jersey (broduer is done within that time), Tampa Bay, or some other supposed contender in the east who would be very excited to land a championship goaltender. Like any other signing, if there is a buyer out there, then it's a no lose proposition. (look at michalek, cheechoo, carle and all the other rather big money contracts that dougie has been able to move when he wanted/needed to.)

Now, in my perfect world, assuming that stalock recovers, I would prefer him to be the backup next year rather than niity. Niity has been so-so at best this season, and so-so at best throughout his career. Signing him for 2M was fine when he was gunna be the #1 guy (though still a big overpayment I thought), but now, 2M for a backup who plays 20 games is not a good investment. Hopefully, dougie moves him in the offseason for whatever he can get and gives griess or stalock the backup job. moving niity and mitchell and replacing them with stalock and ______ (wingels? Viedensky? varone? Mcginn?) would save nearly $2M which would go a long way to resigning seto/white and/or bringing in a top 4 dman. of course, we'll see how the PO's go and that will decide alot...

 

[KillerVee]

For all we know, his recent stretch of 20 games or whatever could be a fluke just like last season's stretch was.

Last season's "fluke" helped win Chicago the cup, didn't it?

 

[rares]

Last season's "fluke" helped win Chicago the cup, didn't it?

They won *despite* having Niemi in the net, IMO... He didn't win any games for them, their offense (and defense to a lesser degree) did.

Did you watch the SCF? It was a battle of which goalie sucked less and yes, Niemi (barely) won... over a(nother) young goalie that nobody had ever heard of.

He shut out the Sharks. Big fucking deal. Craig Anderson almost did that too. We all know that the Sharks can (very easily) make average goalies look great, don't we?

Anyway, I've said all this many times before... sorry for repeating.

You all are welcome to (continue to) be impressed by Niemi's skills. I continue to NOT be. For now.

 

[KillerVee]

I didn't even say if I was in support of the signing. I feel kind of indifferent about Niemi right now if you actually want to know.

I was just pointing out that what you deemed a fluke was a very positive thing.

But I am not at all, AT ALL, shocked that you're not happy.

 

[Likewall32]

They won *despite* having Niemi in the net, IMO... He didn't win any games for them, their offense (and defense to a lesser degree) did.

Did you watch the SCF? It was a battle of which goalie sucked less and yes, Niemi (barely) won... over a(nother) young goalie that nobody had ever heard of.

He shut out the Sharks. Big fucking deal. Craig Anderson almost did that too. We all know that the Sharks can (very easily) make average goalies look great, don't we?

Anyway, I've said all this many times before... sorry for repeating.

You all are welcome to (continue to) be impressed by Niemi's skills. I continue to NOT be. For now.

THIS! Well, I dont know about you but I cant wait for the playoffs so I can watch Niemi steal every game and make all these impossible saves that he does with ease. I even heard a rumor sometimes he gets bored in net, so he plays with his eyes closed and still shuts everyone down....

All joking aside Im glad he's playing out of his mind right now at the right time and the deal isnt a HUGE Huskins/Wallin overpayment for garbage but I wouldve perfered like 2 years $3mil per...

Its just baffling the man crush DWil has on him. I wonder if he goes in the locker rooms after games and washes Niemis back for him in the shower...

 

[LivinLegend22]

I'm not thrilled they signed him for that much, but if they move Niittymaki and have a cheap backup that overall cap % spent on the goalie position would not be bad.

I know that Niemi didn't play great in the SCF and he doesn't have much of a track record to go off, but he has been playing great for a lot longer than 16 games. Give credit where credit is due. His splits:
Month G GA GAA SOG SV SV% SO
Oct 4 14 4.50 96 82 .854 0
Nov 5 18 3.58 165 147 .891 0
Dec 10 24 2.38 296 272 .919 1
Jan 10 20 1.99 304 284 .934 1
Feb 13 24 1.89 366 342 .934 3
Mar 1 1 0.92 19 18 .947 0


Take out the first 9 games and thats a pretty good 34 games run.

 

[SJVP408]

How long before we start hearing the Tank chanting "Ne-mo! Ne-mo!"

 

[sjrules99]

I understand not jumping Nemo's bones just yet. But you gotta admit that he's been so good. He's dominated the shootouts. he hasnt given up over 3 goals since January 3rd (2 months and 22 games). That's a rediculous streak. OK, so the D has improved, but not THAT much. Nemo has been fabulous and to say otherwise doesnt make sense to me. What more can you ask for?

Obviously, the jury will be out until the PO's, but I still don't see much of a downside with how moveable this deal is. Even if the sharks flame out, just the last two seasons winning a cup and his great regular season numbers probably would make him quite marketable, so it's a no-lose situation. if the sharks had niity or some weaker goalie in net, there is no way they go on this streak and no way they begin running away with the division. I just dont believe that given that all the while they still rank just 14th in GFA.

(note: nemo is 13/16 in the SO for an 81% save percentage... damn good)

 

[Likewall32]

I understand not jumping Nemo's bones just yet. But you gotta admit that he's been so good. He's dominated the shootouts. he hasnt given up over 3 goals since January 3rd (2 months and 22 games). That's a rediculous streak. OK, so the D has improved, but not THAT much. Nemo has been fabulous and to say otherwise doesnt make sense to me. What more can you ask for?

Obviously, the jury will be out until the PO's, but I still don't see much of a downside with how moveable this deal is. Even if the sharks flame out, just the last two seasons winning a cup and his great regular season numbers probably would make him quite marketable, so it's a no-lose situation. if the sharks had niity or some weaker goalie in net, there is no way they go on this streak and no way they begin running away with the division. I just dont believe that given that all the while they still rank just 14th in GFA.

(note: nemo is 13/16 in the SO for an 81% save percentage... damn good)

I admitted he's played outta his mind, as much as saying that makes me want to vomit, but this isnt something that rare. Goalies go on hot streaks all the time. Didnt Tim Thomas or someone start the first 10 games with a GAA under 1? Even the worst goalie can catch fire at any particular moment, it doesnt warrent a $2mil raise tho. How often did Sharks fans in SJ actually get to see him before he became a Shark? Prob not very often except for the playoff series which he looked great in to, and this season with this streak. Seeing that inflates what skill level you see him as. Being a Shark fan in Chicago, thats who I was stuck watching and even behind that stud D Chi had I wasnt inpressed. The rebounds and being down on every shot and putting himself out of position was aggravating. Yea its better then watching Huet, but having Jamie Ramm in net would be better then watching Huet

$3mil 3yrs woulda been perfect... Maybe ill eat my words, maybe itll be a steal, maybe he'll take the team to the Stanley Cup or maybe he'll come down off his streak and go back to the avg goalie I see him as.
I always referred to him (in chicago) as a poor mans Chris Osgood, inflated numbers because of the team, not the skill.

 

[bdave]

I said it before that Niemi wasn't a bad goalie, I guess people like "likewall" will look bad in the end.

 

[li0lsh]

we want carr!