The San Jose Sharks are battling for a playoff spot but that apparently hasn’t prevented them from shopping around starting goaltender Antti Niemi. As seen on Nichols On Hockey, Pierre LeBrun outlined that the Sharks are trying to build for the future while still competing for the Cup in 2014-15.
LeBrun:
“They continue to get younger. If you look at their lineup, it’s the youngest it has been in a long time. And that will continue to the point where I was talking to a team today that says that they were told again by San Jose that Antti Niemi is on the table.
So here’s a team that’s in a playoff spot, albeit by a slim margin; but, because Niemi is a pending UFA, the Sharks are taking calls on him. Which suggests to you that yes they want to get in again. I mean, they made the playoffs 10 straight years. But the bigger priority for San Jose is to try and replenish the organization on the fly here.”
Niemi’s contract situation makes him an optimal trade candidate, but the timing may rub fans the wrong way. Fans will want to see a return on Niemi should the team elect to go in a new direction in net for 2015-16, but trading away your top goaltender in the midst of a playoff run may give off the impression that the Sharks are preparing for defeat. Considering the team’s string of playoff failures, that’s not the impression you want to give your fans, especially not when attendance has been slipping.
Fans may be more forgiving if the Sharks net a nice return on Niemi, but it’s kind of odd seeing a team discussing a rebuild of sorts while in the playoff picture.
