Per NHL.com:
The Chicago Blackhawks will have a new No. 1 goalie to start the 2010-11 season.
The Blackhawks confirmed to NHL.com Monday that they will walk away from the arbitration award given to Antti Niemi and sign unrestricted free agent goalie Marty Turco to a one-year contract. Niemi in turn becomes an unrestricted free agent. The Chicago Tribune was the first to have the information.
The monetary terms of Turco’s contract were not disclosed per team policy. However, the Tribune reports the deal is worth between $1 million and $1.5 million
An arbitrator ruled Saturday that if Chicago wanted Niemi back it would have to be under a one-year contract worth $2.75 million, Niemi’s agent, Bill Zito, confirmed to NHL.com’s Brian Hedger. Per the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, the Blackhawks then had 48 hours to decide what it was going to do with Niemi, who went 26-7-4 with a 2.25 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage, then was 16-6 with a 2.63 GAA and .912 save percentage while leading the Hawks to their first Stanley Cup in 49 years.
Chicago, which is up against the $59.4 million salary cap, could have signed Niemi to those terms, but instead let him walk. If the tribune report on the value of Turco’s contract is true, the Hawks were able to save more than $1 million and sign a veteran goalie who turns 35 on Aug. 13.
Turco spent nine seasons in Dallas, compiling a 262-154-26 record. He was 22-20-11 this past season with a 2.72 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. The Stars have not made the playoffs since 2008 and traded for Kari Lehtonen in February, telling Turco he would not be in their future plans.
Turco reportedly turned down a contract offer from Philadelphia earlier this summer that was worth $2 million.
“Our priority … was to put him with a club where he had a chance to play a role to win the Stanley Cup,” Kurt Overhardt, Turco’s agent, told the Chicago Tribune.
It’s not certain that Turco will be the Hawks No. 1, though. Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman said at the team’s annual fan convention over the weekend that it’s time to give Corey Crawford a chance. Crawford has spent the past four years playing in the AHL and has appeared in only eight games with the Blackhawks since he was selected in the second round of the 2003 Entry Draft.
There is still the matter of Cristobal Huet and his $5.625 million cap hit. The Blackhawks have the option of sending Huet to the AHL, which would take his cap hit off the books.
Bowman said on a conference call Friday that he had yet to dive into the Huet situation because he was trying to resolve the Niemi situation first.
Meanwhile, Niemi is now an unrestricted free agent after backstopping the Hawks to their first Stanley Cup championship since 1961. His day with the Cup is scheduled for Aug. 10-11.
