Philadelphia Flyers Free Agent Target: Antti Niemi
Philadelphia Flyers Free Agent Target: Antti Niemi
Draft week. This is arguably one of the best weeks for hockey, and its fans. The time when fans obsess whether that top free agent will sign with their team. The time when fans imagine what their top defense pair would look like with that available defenseman everyone is talking about. The time of mock drafts. Most importantly, the time when fans crunch numbers and determine how their favorite team will lift the Stanley Cup.
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Speaking of Stanley Cup, it seems that every year the winning (and sometimes losing) team has the best or hottest goalie. They seem to fire up at the most appropriate time of the year. For example, I don’t see the Senators making a historic run to end the year, which eventually landed them into the playoffs, without Andrew Hammond. He was a hot topic to end the year and gave his team a fighting chance. Now, they were eliminated in the first round, but the point is – he contributed greatly.
This is something that the Flyers simply do not have. A goalie. They have an overpaid goalie in Steve Mason. Why on earth are the Flyers paying him $4.1 million per year to finish at or below .500, 4 of the past 7 years? Mason will not be the one to get Philly into the playoffs. He did it in 2009 where he went 0-4, sported a 4.26 GAA, and allowed 17 goals.
Apr 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Islanders center John Tavares (91) shoots on Philadelphia Flyers goalie Steve Mason (35) as defenseman Nick Schultz (55) and New York Islanders center Anders Lee (27) battle in front of the the net during the first period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
After a bit of research, I was curious to see the Stanley Cup winning goalies’ records, GAA, SV%, etc. There were a total of eight goalies due to Scott Darling playing a few games in this postseason. Since 2009, the average GAA for all eight goalies came to 2.19. The average SV% is .926. You’re probably thinking: “Yeah, but they are a huge cap hit.” Not always true. Want to take a guess at the average cap hit for these goalies? $3.2 million. Think about that. Only $3.2 million, on average, was dedicated to one of the most important, if not THE most important, position.
If the Flyers want to be a contender, and not a pretender, they need to go sign UFA Antti Niemi. He was making $3.8 million per year in his final four seasons with San Jose. That’s slightly over the average salary stated above. There’s one key year from the past seven that I want to focus on. The year the ‘Hawks won Lord Stanley’s Cup in 2010. The goaltender of that team…. Antti Niemi. He’s currently 31 and has plenty of experience, including playoffs and championships. Since 2009, he has averaged 31.5 wins, 2.37 GA, and .916 SV% per season.
Apr 9, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; San Jose Sharks goalie Antti Niemi (31) tries to block a shot from Edmonton Oilersright winger Nail Yakupov (10) during the second period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-USA TODAY Sports
Clearly the Flyers have room for improvement. Why pay Mason $4.1 million a year to get ousted in the playoffs, when you can get Niemi a little cheaper, or about the same? Niemi has proven himself, and puts up better numbers for the same price. Let Emery walk, as he probably will anyway. Sign the Finnish net-minder and have Mason as a backup. Though, he’s not much security even as a backup. If the cap won’t allow for both, then it’s obvious to trade away Mason assuming someone would take him. Once these changes are made, welcome back to the playoffs, Philadelphia Flyers.
–All stats and numbers recorded from GeneralFanager.com, NHLNumbers.com, and ESPN.com
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