Ex-Hawks goalie Niemi signs with Sharks
Former Blackhawks goalie Antti Niemi finally found a new home on Wednesday.
Niemi agreed to a one-year, $2 million deal with the Hawks' rival San Jose Sharks.
Niemi's contract is for less than the $2.75 million he was awarded in his arbitration case with the Hawks last month. The Hawks had offered Niemi $1.5 million.
The Hawks walked away from Niemi's $2.75 million award on Aug. 2, and quickly signed veteran Marty Turco as a free agent. Turco's one-year deal is for $1.3 million.
Niemi and Turco both will be unrestricted free agents next summer.
The Sharks, who lost to the Hawks in the Western Conference finals, will start the season with Niemi and Antero Niittymaki as their goalies after parting ways with Evgeni Nabokov.
In other Hawks news on Wednesday, former defenseman Steve Poapst was hired as an assistant coach at Rockford under Bill Peters.
Poapst had been the general manager and head coach of the United States Hockey League's Chicago Steel since December of 2006.
"Steve's deep experience and knowledge will help assist our strong commitment to the development of our young talent in the organization," Hawks GM Stan Bowman said.
Poapst played 220 of his 307 career NHL games as a defenseman with the Hawks between 2000 and 2004.