Antti Niemi’s salary arbitration case was heard Thursday morning in Toronto and the wait is now on as a decision on the Blackhawks goaltender’s salary for the 2010-11 season will be announced within 48 hours.
Niemi and agent Bill Zito were expected to ask for more than $3 million for the one-year contract after the netminder led the Hawks to their first Stanley Cup since 1961. The team likely is hoping the arbitrator awards Niemi around $2 million. If the Hawks deem the award too high, they could walk away from the deal and let Niemi become an unrestricted free agent.
Filed under: