OT: Niemi Agent cost Niemi Hawks job?

Turco was on CSN tonight, missed it tho, hope to catch a repeat of it

The player hires the agent, and it’s on the player to set the ground rules for how they want to be represented. For example, it’s clear that Scott Boras does all the talking for his clients. Lots of GM’s complain that they can’t get a word with the player while Boras runs his auction/head game/getting Texas to bid against itself until A-Rod was a $25m/year player.

But the player is the boss of the agent. The player can say “I want to hear about every offer”, or he can say “I give you the authority to take offers and use your best judgment to get me the best deal”. The player can tell the agent “I really want to stay with my team”, or “I want to play someplace it’s sunny”. In short, Niemi and Zito should have had a good conversation before this all started about what their goals were. And Zito should have had a good feel for the market to properly advise his client.

IMO, the agent horribly mis-read the market in three critical ways: First, Niemi was a “restricted free agent”, which in NHL talk meant that the Hawks could control when Niemi could get offers – until well after the main free agent market opened. With many teams limited by the salary cap, almost all of the available money was spent before Niemi was ever in a position to take an offer from another club.

Second, there’s been a general depression in the market for netminders because clubs like the Hawks and the SCUM have played a style that relies on quality defensemen rather than an “ace” goaltender. It didn’t help that big money goalies like Reboundo Luongo, Vaginy Nabokov, Khabibulin and Huet haven’t been getting the job done in the playoffs.

Third, once Hjalmarsson got his $3.5m offer sheet, that left the Hawks with a maximum of $1.5, maybe $1.75m for a starting goaltender. Anyone who looked at the CapGeek webpage for the Hawks could see this plainly. NHL player agents should be able to read a spreadsheet, but it appears Zito either could not see what limited resources the Hawks had left, or he thought there was a good deal for Niemi somewhere else. When the Turco news hit, the game was up.

(And on that last point, there’s also been some talk that GM Bowman had the offer from Turco to come play for whatever the Hawks could pay.. the rumor is Bowman had offer that in his back pocket for some time. If true, that made matching the Hjalmarsson offer a much easier decision.)

Niemi’s best move now could be to sign a one-year deal as a backup somewhere in the NHL or Europe, and take another run next offseason when (a) he’d be an unrestricted free agent on day one – and (b) the Hawks will have an opening for a starting goaltender, and an extra $4m to spend once the bonus penalty comes off their books.

is he was a one year wonder so far. he still needed to show he could do it for a second, thind and so on. he was not as proven as the agent was/is demanding on the FA market

The goalie market is flooded, in addition: Many teams that could afford a ~$3M goalie are either too close to the cap or already have a goalie. Other teams that could use a goalie, cannot afford him.

Zito was basing his price solely on what Halak got from a desperate Blues team; $3.75M a year for 4 years. He completely over-estimated the market and blew it for his client.

I could see Zito demanding this kind of money if Nemo stood on his head to help the ‘Hawks win the Stanley Cup. But that simply was not the case. If Zito didn’t have his head up his ass, he would have changed his tune immediately after the ’Hawks matched the Sharks offer sheet for Hjalmarrson. Right then and there that should have sent up a red flag as to what was more important to the ’Hawks in spending money; a puck controlling, quick, shot blocking 23-yr old defenceman.

The ’Hawks could have won with a dozen or more different guys – not named Cristobal Huet – in the nets. In contrast Halak stood on his head for the Habs in the playoffs when they knocked the Caps and ’guins out of rounds 1 & 2.

IIRC, a team bidding on Nemo may have to be within 80% of the $2.75M arb award or $2.2M. Forgot that detail since very few guys go to arb with the controlling team declining.

The Blackhawks will be just fine with Turco in the nets. His numbers were similar to Nemo’s with a crummy defencive Dallas team the last 2 seasons. His puck-moving ability will work GREAT in the Blackhawks puck-control system.

Thirty-six days until the Cup defence begins!

Not that I’m policing who posts what where, but out of my own curiosity, why not go to SBN’s Second City Hockey to talk Hawks? I’ve also noticed the OT Hawks game threads here at BCB, and was always curious why people didn’t go over to Second City Hockey.

SCH is definitely a raunchier and far less politically correct site than BCB, but there is a lot of knowledge over there.

Just curious.

…filled with knowledgeable and passionate Hawks’ fans. I actually like the raunchier tone…somehow, to me at least, it fits hockey better.

And the game threads are always a lot of fun too.

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