NHL Off-Season Updates:
Leafs Add Depth to Roster
In order to boost the development of their young roster, the Toronto Maple Leafs have brought in some veteran journeyman players from the American Hockey League in order to have depth and age on the ice.
Thursday the Leafs signed three players, forwards Mike Zigomanis and Joey Crabb and defenseman Danny Richmond. Combined, the three players share 267 games of National Hockey League experience.
Of the three, Zigomanis has the most League experience. The 29-year-old has played a total of 189 NHL games for Carolina, St. Louis, Phoenix and Pittsburgh and has amassed a career total of 39 points. He has managed just one full-season, 2006-07 with Phoenix, and will definitely be seeking to prove himself worthy of another one.
Crabb spent last season playing for the AHL’s Chicago Wolves with whom he had 59 points. The 27-year-old’s NHL experience amounts to a 29-game stint with the Atlanta Thrashers in 2008-09, during which he scored nine points.
At 25, Richmond, the youngest of the trio, has a career total of 49 NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks. His last time on the ice in the NHL was 2008.
The purpose of these signings is simply to add experience to the team. As Maple Leafs Vice President of Hockey Operations Dave Poulin put it: ‘These players add significant depth to our organization. They all have experience at the NHL level and will provide strong leadership for our young prospects."
So even if they don’t play well, they are essentially expendable but can perhaps help younger players around them play better. It’s a no-lose situation for the Leafs, but they hope they can emerge better off from it rather than unaffected.
Blackhawks to Deal with Niemi Situation:
Traditionally Stanley Cup winning goaltenders aren’t usually on the unrestricted free agent market for too long, but as with most things involving Niemi, this is a unique situation.
The Hawks have dealt with all other aspects of the roster, including the re-signing of restricted free agent defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. Now, general manager Stan Bowman must focus on retaining his heroic goalie.
Niemi has an arbitration hearing set for July 29, but according to his agent would like to get a deal as soon as possible. He deserves a raise from the meagre $827,000 salary he earned last year. However, with Chicago facing a harsh salary cap and the trend of diminishing goalie wages, it is uncertain how much the team can or will spare.
Niemi’s agent Bill Zito described the situation in a radio interview. He said: "Antti would like to stay and like to be a part of this thing and I guess the onus is on us to figure out a way to do it."
Harding Stays in Minnesota:
The Minnesota Wild, who relied heavily on a tandem of goaltenders, has re-signed backup goalkeeper Josh Harding to a one-year deal. Harding has served amiably as the No. 2 to Nicklas Backstrom throughout five seasons in the NHL.
Harding, Minnesota’s second-round pick in 2002, currently has a career record of 28-39-4 with a 2.66 goals-against average and .915 save percentage. The re-signing does not immediately help Minnesota and they look on pace to repeat missing the play-offs from the Northwest Division.
Harding has shown potential and has grown throughout his tenure behind Backstrom. If he puts in a solid season, the Wild could perhaps be comfortable with having Harding replace the 32-year-old Backstrom should he be traded or choose to go elsewhere after the expiration of the four-year, $24 million contract he signed in 2009.
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