The San Jose Mercury News reports that the Sharks announced this morning what the rest of the hockey world has known for at least the last 24 hours or so: Antti Niemi - the Stanley Cup-winning goalie who eliminated them from the playoffs last spring - will be on the San Jose roster when training camp begins in two weeks. His one-year deal is for $2M.
Niemi, who turned 27 Sunday, will join fellow Finn Antero Niittymaki, 30, in the San Jose crease this season in what has the makings of an interesting tandem conundrum for poolies. They'll be replacing Evgeni Nabokov, who will be finishing his career in the KHL. Niittymaki inked a two-year, $4M contract when free agency opened in July. Combined, Niemi and Niittymaki will still make $2M less than did Nabokov last year and will count nearly $1.4M less against the cap.
Thomas Greiss, who was slated to back up Niittymaki this season after handling the same job behind Nabokov last year, now seems to be the odd man out.
Niemi posted a 26-7-4 mark with Chicago last year, including 2.25/ .912 peripherals and seven shutouts in only 35 starts. Niittymaki was 21-18-5 on a much weaker Tampa Bay squad with 2.87/ .909 splits and one shutout, so his numbers will no doubt improve on the West Coast.
The real question - and one that just can't be answered now - is how many games will each man play in '10-11?
Niemi may be fresh off a Cup win, but the early guess would be a tandem situation for this duo with both guys -assuming they play well - seeing plenty of action in the first few months of the season. While this certainly isn't ideal for fantasy leaguers who will now have to eat up two roster spots for one team's starts, the payoff should be high enough on a Sharks roster that should be among the best in the West during the regular season.
IGINLA LOOKING TO REBOUND With a 40-32-10 mark last season, the Calgary Flames finished the '09-10 campaign on a four-game losing streak and came up short in six of their last nine games; ending up with 90 points overall. The Colorado Avalanche had 95 and earned the final playoff spot in the West. Jarome Iginla spoke with The Calgary Herald about bouncing back this time around - both as a team and individually.
"I think we'll be a real nice surprise this year," Iginla said yesterday. "Some people, you know, are hard on us . . . as far as the end of the year and not being happy at how things went. It's a fun time of year. You read all the different things - what some people like or are excited for. Some people pick certain teams to win. But none of that really matters. It's all proving it on the ice. Other years, we've been picked to do this and that.
"That's part of the fun at this time of the year, but I can't wait to get back playing."
And, he insists, producing.
So should poolies take note of No. 12?
"I'm feeling good, I'm feeling good," said Iginla, chuckling. "Team-wise, I think we'll be a much-improved team this year. I'm very excited about it."
Iginla produced just 32-37-69 last season, which was down from his prior three seasons of 89, 98 and 94 points. He also averaged about a minute less of ice time last year than his previous two campaigns.
His stretch run was absolutely brutal. B-R-U-T-A-L. No points in his final six games. One assist in nine tries at the end. In his last 16 outings overall, he came up with just 1G, 5A.
"Personally, last year was an off year," said Iginla. "I think I can still be a high producer for the team in all different ways. I'm looking forward to it. I really am."
You never really know how line combinations will settle and they're naturally subject to change at any time, but the addition of playmaking winger Alex Tanguay is hoped to improve the chemistry between Olli Jokinen and Iginla on what could be an effective first line for the Flames. Both Tanguay and Jokinen are badly in need of proving they still have what it takes to produce at a high level.
"We're all going to have bounce-back years," said Iginla. "As a team, we need to have a bounce-back season. And I think we're totally capable of that. We've all worked hard in the off-season. We're all excited to be back and get an opportunity to play here in Calgary, to play with this team and with each other. We'll go, we'll work on it. Chemistry's important. They've all been huge producers in the league. We want to get back to that."
QUOTABLE "I can't tell you that," Manny Malhotra chuckled when asked by The Vancouver Sun the secret to his beastly face-off winning percentage, which has stood at 62.5% and 58% over his past two seasons. "That's going too in-depth right now."
Come on Manny...
"It's quickness, it's hand-eye [coordination], it's being tough on the puck, it's a mixture of things, I guess," Malhotra explained. "As you get more experienced, you learn from guys, you learn what works and what doesn't work for you. You get a little smarter so it's definitely something I've worked on my whole career.
"I think more and more teams are putting far greater emphasis on face-offs," he added. "You see more specialists throughout the league."
LIDSTROM RECHARGED The Detroit News writes that Nicklas Lidstrom arrived at the arena yesterday suntanned, rested, fit and looking boyishly young, still, at age 40.
"I feel good," Lidstrom said with a smile. "I feel good about coming back for another year and I feel refreshed for another long season."
He said he feels the fruit of the only solace in an early exit from the playoffs: 32 days more rest, almost 40 percent more than in 2008 and 2009, when the Red Wings played the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Finals.
"It really helps the body heel, before you start the offseason workouts," Lidstrom said.
The addition of veteran defenceman Ruslan Salei, along with a potential bounce-back season from young Jonathan Ericsson, could really help to relieve some of the minutes pressure off Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski.
"I think it can be helpful," Lidstrom said of some time off during the season. "I think I set myself up to play a long season. My workout routines are set up for me to play a lot of minutes. But I think it helps if you play a little less and you can look forward to a little more of a spark late in the season. But last year, we had a lot of injuries. We knew that we were in a tough spot and we needed points to make it into the playoffs. And it's one of the reasons I played more.
"But if everything goes the way we hope it will, I'm probably going to play a little bit less, this season."
QUOTABLE I'm 100% sure this is it," 48-year old Chris Chelios said while officially announcing his retirement after 26 NHL seasons. "I know that I'll never play in the NHL again. It's not a hard decision. I think the hardest thing is you get a little emotional talking about your family. I couldn't have played any longer than I did and I accomplished what I wanted to."
LECAVALIER IS JUST FINE The St. Petersburg Times indicates that unlike the past two summers, when shoulder and wrist surgeries roadblocked Vincent Lecavalier's conditioning, the Aug. 24 arthroscopic procedure on his left knee apparently is no more than a speed bump. He was adamant he will be ready for training camp, which opens Sept. 17.
"It's not big enough of a surgery to say I'm shaking my head, 'Another rehab,' or something like that," he said of the operation that cleaned out two pieces of floating cartilage.
"(Wednesday) I had a good leg workout. It wasn't heavy, obviously, but I'm slowly starting to get there. Once I start skating (today), I'm going hard to get back where I should be."
His GM said the procedure wasn't a big deal.
"Very minor," Steve Yzerman said. "Now it's just a matter of the small portals from the 'scopes healing and any little swelling going away, and he'll be fine. It's not an injury I see hampering him at training camp at all."
STAAL FINE FOR OPENER The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that centre Jordan Staal will not be available to the Penguins for the start of training camp Sept. 17, though GM Ray Shero said he should not miss the start of the regular season Oct. 7.
Shero said last week Staal has experienced setbacks during recovery from surgery to repair a lacerated tendon in his right foot on May 1.
Assuming no major issues crop up here, this stands to be Staal's offensive coming out party. It's believed that Evgeni Malkin will move to the wing this year and skate on Staal's flank, which moves Staal up from his normal third line pivot role.
The 21-year old has posted 49 points for each of his past two seasons and this will be his fifth NHL campaign.
KUGRYSHEV FINE WITH AHL The Washington Post suggests that Dmitry Kugryshev, a second round pick from 2008, hopes to make a lasting impression with the Capitals' staff once camp begins.
The 20-year-old RW spent the past two seasons with the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL and joined Hershey during last spring's Calder Cup run, but he was unable to suit up for the Bears because of a back injury. So he jumped at the opportunity to arrive in Washington early and train with the Capitals' staff and players.
"I want to be in my best shape for training camp," Kugryshev said. "It's better working out with NHL guys and NHL coaches. The training camps in Russia have already started for those teams so there wouldn't be many places I could just work and skate; and we don't have professional coaches that can help like here. I need to prove everything to someday play in NHL. I should be perfect player. I want to prepare for season best I can."
While some European players may hesitate to begin their North American professional careers in the AHL, The Post points out that Kugryshev is open to it.
"I think AHL is a good school too," he said. "Half of the players here have played in the AHL before and Hershey has a great level [of hockey] there."
EXTENDED QUOTABLE From The National Post, on the subject of Norwegian talent Mats Zuccarello-Aasen...
Edmonton Oilers' prospect Magnus Paajarvi, who played against Zuccarello-Aasen in Sweden: "He's got unbelievable offensive skills. He wows you a lot of times. Definitely, he's so little. That's why you get the wow feeling from him. That's why he's so entertaining to look at as well. But when you play against him, you realize how dangerous he is. I don't see how he wouldn't succeed over here too."
Florida Panthers goaltending prospect Jacob Markstrom, who readily admits that Zuccarello-Aasen scored "so many goals against me" in Sweden last season: "You never know what he's going to do. If you watch him score a goal a couple of days ago, you'll see one move. And then the next time you play him, you'll see another. When he scored his hat trick, one was a deflection in front of the net. The other was a rebound. And the third was a breakaway. He has so many moves."
Zuccarello-Aasen, on his decision to sign with the New York Rangers: "They really wanted me," he said. "I talked a lot with [Rangers' European scout] Anders Hedberg and it sounded like they really believed in me and wanted to give me a great chance to make the team.
"Two years ago, I was playing in a rink in Norway for 750 people. I never thought I would ever play in the NHL or get drafted. Playing in Sweden was my main goal. But now my goal is to make the Rangers. If I'm not good enough, then I'm not good enough. But it's up to myself."
Need help deciding on keeper choices for '10-11? Wondering about someone's poolie potential after summer moves by the team? The next fantasy Q&A will be coming up before too long, so drop a line to chris.nichols@sportsnet.rogers.com and it may be included. Please include relevant league details like scoring categories, number of teams, etc.
