Niemi becomes Chicago's latest cap casualty

Hockey Betting Lines

08/02/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - We already knew Stan Bowman was serious about fixing the Blackhawks' salary cap situation, but that still wasn't enough to prepare us for the recent decisions made by Chicago's general manager.

On Sunday, an arbitrator awarded Antti Niemi, the goaltender who just several weeks ago helped the Blackhawks win their first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years, $2.75 million for the 2010-11 season.

The arbitrator's ruling led to the surprising announcement on Monday that the Blackhawks were walking away from Niemi and his $2.75 million price tag, and signing veteran Marty Turco to a one-year deal worth a reported $1.3 million. Just like that, Niemi became an unrestricted free agent and Turco became the presumptive favorite to start in net for Chicago next season.

So, for the difference of $1.45 million, the Blackhawks lost a Stanley Cup- winning goaltender who, at 26 years of age, is presumably about to enter his prime. Turco, on the other hand, has a losing record over his playoff career and is about to celebrate his 35th birthday in the coming weeks. The fact that Chicago couldn't find a way to keep Niemi for $1.5 million more a year really illustrates how tight the cap situation is in the Windy City.

Of course, the rather large contract of a third goaltender, Cristobal Huet, is among the financial issues that have made Bowman's summer of salary dumping a necessity. Huet was signed by Chicago's previous GM, Dale Tallon, to an enormous four-year, $22.4 million contract in July of 2008. To say that Huet hasn't earned that money would be a comical understatement.

Huet famously lost his starting job to first-year NHLer Niemi during last season, and Monday's signing of Turco reveals that the Hawks still don't have much faith in Huet regaining his No. 1 status. Regardless of how many starts Huet gets this year, he still carries a damaging cap hit of about $5.6 million for each of the next two seasons.

But it wasn't just Tallon's signing of Huet that made it essential for Bowman to play the fiscal voice of reason this summer. Tallon had simply allocated too much money to too many players and Bowman responded this offseason by getting rid of guys like Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Andrew Ladd, Adam Burish and others.

Nobody wants to see a championship team get dismantled as quickly as the 2009-10 Blackhawks have been stripped to pieces, but Bowman is taking on a noble crusade in doing so. Chicago's GM is sacrificing depth in order to keep together his franchise's nucleus.

Because of Bowman's maneuvering, the Blackhawks will be able to keep key pieces like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith, and Patrick Sharp. However, head coach Joel Quenneville will have the difficult task of winning with a top-heavy lineup that will surely be filled out by inexpensive, journeymen-type players. My guess is the Blackhawks will still make the playoffs and challenge for a division title, but it could be hard to repeat as Cup winners when so much of the team's depth is now elsewhere.

But, Monday's news doesn't just show us how dire Chicago's salary cap issues are. It also reveals how much Turco wants to play for the Blackhawks. Sure, Turco seems to be nearing the end of his career and is coming off a couple of down seasons in Dallas, but it's hard to believe he couldn't have earned more than $1.3 million to play somewhere other than Chicago.

Under different circumstances the Blackhawks would've loved to hold onto Niemi and see if he had another Stanley Cup or two in his future, but the club is erring on the side of caution. In order to save a little bit of money under the cap, the team is essentially betting that Niemi is not the long-term answer in net, and that they could be just as good with an aging veteran like Turco between the pipes.

Now, of course, Niemi is a hot commodity on the open market and will likely land with a contender if the right team can find the cap space to sign the Finnish netminder.

As for Blackhawks fans, they will always remember Niemi for his role in helping end a lengthy Cup drought, and will likely keep a close eye on the rest of the youngster's career. Bowman and the Hawks front office will be watching Niemi as well, but they'll be hoping the goaltender doesn't become the franchise goaltender that got away.

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NFL Football Betting : Odds on NFL Division to Win the Super Bowl

NFL Super Bowl Betting

The AFC South and the NFC East are the favorite divisions to have the next Super Bowl champ among them in the NFL betting odds. But more down to the point, these football odds are in favor of the Indianapolis Colts, by far the strongest team in the AFC South, and the Dallas Cowboys of the NFC East.

Most sports fans would agree that these two teams top the list to win it all before the season even begins. In the BetUS Sportsbook football futures, the Colts are +800 in the odds to win the Super Bowl, while the Cowboys are sitting at +1000 and the Super Bowl XLIV champions New Orleans Saints at +900. In the AFC South, the Colts won the division for five straight years after the 2002 realignment, before the Tennessee Titans won it in 2008. But the Colts came back strong in 2009 to win the division again en route to the Super Bowl. The Cowboys are the favorite to win the NFC East, as well as to advance far into the post season. The Cowboys won the division last season before their horrendous loss in the NFC Divisional playoff to Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. But the ‘Boys will take that loss humbly and be ready for the playoffs this time around.

The NFC South is also very strong, at +600 in the NFL futures, considering that it is home to the defending Super Bowl champions. However, some predictions have the Atlanta Falcons with possibilities of claiming the divisional title this season in place of the Saints, as no team has won back-to-back division championships since the division realignment took place. Let’s not overlook the AFC North at +500. As TO goes to Cincinnati to join Chad OchoCinco and Adam “Pac-Man” Jones, this team looks to claim the division title again. And it is likely they will do so. The Bengals lost in the AFC Wild Card spot in a hard-fought battle against the New York Jets last season. Lest not forget the Pittsburgh Steelers, the XLII Super Bowl Champions… All these teams present interesting odds and matchups for the upcoming season, but the safest and surest bet seems to be with the Colts in the AFC South and the Cowboys in the NFC East. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.

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