I never understood the two-faced hilarity that is salary arbitration. The Blackhawks will tell a judge all the reasons they feel  Antti Niemi shouldn’t be compensated as he sees fit. Conversely, Niemi and his agent will explain why Niemi’s performance to date warrants a top-tier goaltender salary.
The ‘Hawks will attempt to prove why Niemi’s not worth the money, and Niemi’s agent will fight it. Yet the entire time, the Blackhawks want Niemi back wearing the Indian head — and from what we’re told, Niemi wants the same, but only for the right price.
It’s a back-and-forth process each side has dealt [...]

Just for the record, the 17 years indeed does NOT relate to the amount of time he spent making this decision. It’s the number of years apparently agreed upon by the New Jersey Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk. Holy. Piss.
Remember when the league made a big, gigantic stink over contracts during last season’s free agency period? Marian Hossa’s  now-modest 12-year, $62.8 million deal makes the NHL look stupid for even looking into it. Kovalchuk’s deal is reportedly worth upwards of around $150 million.
At the conclusion of the reported contract, Kovalchuk will be 44 years old and heading into  Chris Chelios  territory [...]

Capologists and ‘Hawks fans alike busted out the calculators in wake of  Niklas Hjalmarsson’s spankin’ new 4-year, $14 million contract thanks to those sore-loser San Jose Sharks. While the past few days may not have rivaled “The Decision,” a la  LeBron James, the ‘Hawks considered a looming variable: Keep Hammer, and risk losing Chicago’s first Stanley Cup-winning goaltender in 49 years.
It’s widely speculated  Jarslov Halak’s contract with the St. Louis Blues — coming in at a $3.75 million cap hit — will be a benchmark for  Antti Niemi’s award following his July 29 arbitration hearing. It’s obvious this may be [...]

The Blackhawks made it official they will match the San Jose Sharks’ offer sheet for  Niklas Hjalmarsson  and sign him to a 4-year, $14 million contract. The cap it will be $3.5 million over the next four years.
Antti Niemi’s  arbitration date is set for July 29, and we’ll have to see if the ‘Hawks let him walk after the St. Louis Blues gave  Jaroslav Halak  a monster deal and set the bar pretty high for a goalie of Niemi’s comparable experience.
I’ll have more later on this decision and what it means for the ‘Hawks chances of keeping Niemi, or if [...]

TSN.com is reporting Niklas Hjalmarsson signed a 4-year, $14 million offer sheet from the San Jose Sharks. I’m not sure about you, but a $3 million-plus offer is not what I expected — and I doubt the Blackhawks expected it, either.
The Blackhawks have seven days to match the offer sheet. With Antti Niemi awaiting a contract, this may be difficult to swing.
More details as they become available…