The resurgance of Antti Niemi?

[ijk]

This is a question to Montreal fans and a general discussion on the man, the myth, Antti Niemi.

What many thought was the end of him in the NHL, has not yet come to be.

Last year in Dallas he was putrid, posting a 89.2 sv% in 37 games. To the surprise of many, Pittsburgh signed him, and he posted a 7.5 gaa and 79.7 sv% in three games played among the ranks of the flightless birds. From there he bounced to Florida and "improved" to a 5.08 gaa and a 87.2 sv% in the two games he played.

"The end is nigh, perhaps the last time", our soon to be helmetless Hamlet said as he saw visions of his early peril, which, truth be told, many thought had lasted way too long. But alas, the young knight Niemi proclaimed, as he was reclaimed by Montreal, "My time has come and I shall show my doubters wrong!"

And so he has.

In 11 games in Montreal he has posted a 92.6 sv%.

Is he the savior the Canadiens need, or is this his final hurrah? What say thee, my fellowship?

Click to read more...

 

[TMLegend]

He's not very good. One 11 game stretch doesn't erase several seasons of mediocre or just plain bad goaltending.

Kudos to him though if he gets another contract in the NHL because of it.

 

[Jugitsu]

I honestly don't think he has a future in the NHL after this season. Sure, he might look half decent now but the sample size is way too small to make assumptions, like the poster above me hinted.

Niemi IMO doesn't make a good back up simply because he's the kind of goalie who needs to play as much as possible. He was half decent with the Sharks when he was the starter and sucked ball sacks with the Stars when he had to share the starting position with Lehtonen. As a back up, I wouldn't trust him with opening the door to the bench and I don't think there's a single team in the NHL that wants or needs him as their number 1.

 

[Hagged]

Niemi is nothing more than your average zamboni driver, lucky enough to be at the rink when Finnish third tier league team was out of options. Luck has followed him everywhere since then, but now it seems he has ran out of it. Unlucky Niemi is the worst goalie in the world, and not even NHL level as a zamboni driver. He's out of the league as soon as next season.

 

[Uncle Scrooge]

As weird as it may sound, Montreal is playing the best defensively in front of him out of any of the teams.

Pens either didn't show up or were up against Tampa playing their A game.

Florida went through a stretch where they couldn't keep the puck out no matter who was in net.

Start of the season wasn't all his fault, and it was way overblown.

That said i've always been vocal about Niemi not being a legit #1 guy. I've never seen a more unimpressive goalie eye-test wise playing for such highly respected teams. Im not an expert on goalies but have seen plenty of them play and he's always looked more like a minor league starter/backup in the NHL to me.

He may or may not earn another backup role somewhere next season. If someone wants to keep their younger goalie in the minors and needs a veteran backup, i can't blame anyone for giving Niemi another shot if there's nobody better out there. Experience is always valued and guys with his experience tend to get more opportunities before their career is over.

 

[Albatros]

Niemi is nothing more than your average zamboni driver, lucky enough to be at the rink when Finnish third tier league team was out of options. Luck has followed him everywhere since then, but now it seems he has ran out of it. Unlucky Niemi is the worst goalie in the world, and not even NHL level as a zamboni driver. He's out of the league as soon as next season.

Not many out of luck Zamboni drivers outperform Carey Price by a wide margin.

 

[Super Hans]

He's been good, but not ten and a half million dollars good.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

Even a blind squirrel finds nuts every now and then.

He'll come crashing down again soon.

 

[Pestilence]

Niemi is nothing more than your average zamboni driver, lucky enough to be at the rink when Finnish third tier league team was out of options. Luck has followed him everywhere since then, but now it seems he has ran out of it. Unlucky Niemi is the worst goalie in the world, and not even NHL level as a zamboni driver. He's out of the league as soon as next season.

Indeed. Good fortune is the difference between driving a Zamboni and starting 420 NHL games and winning 230 of them. It could've happened to any other Zamboni driver in some other rink, just pure luck that it happened to be Niemi who made it.

 

[jetsforever]

The title cracked me up
I think you have to be initially good before you can have a resurgence

 

[tony d]

He's had a good run with the Canadiens thus far. Wonder if he can keep it up.

 

[Jee]

He's ruining our tank. I hate him.

 

[Turning Mangiapanese]

The title cracked me up
I think you have to be initially good before you can have a resurgence

He was good, or let's say NHL average, for half a decade before going to Dallas. And that's with a fairly heavy workload (60+ starts a year). He was surely never elite but that is one solid career. He'll get another one year contract next summer somewhere.

 

[CanadianPensFan1]

He sucks. Him getting "better" isn't much of a selling point since he couldn't have gotten much worse. He could have laid down in the net and likely made just as many saves.

He's been done for awhile. This glorious streak is the epitome of "sun shining on a dogs arse once in awhile."

 

[JustaFinnishGuy]

He was good, or let's say NHL average, for half a decade before going to Dallas. And that's with a fairly heavy workload (60+ starts a year). He was surely never elite but that is one solid career. He'll get another one year contract next summer somewhere.

Since he has always been kinda slow in the goal crease (regarding moving horizontally <- lol only word I could think of) he's been exposed because of the speed of the NHL. He wasn't a good fit for the Dallas system either. He just needs so much help to make him good. Like every goalie in the league who's a fringe starter at their career points.

I'd expect that he gets that one redeemer contract after redeemer contract until he falls through.

 

[Pi]

Go Niemi go! Keeping winning for the Habs. They need wins right now. As long as you're not eliminated, keep playing to win.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

The title cracked me up
I think you have to be initially good before you can have a resurgence

He was nominated for a Vezina in 2013...

 

[Agalloch]

He's good right now but I think his career is over.

 

[RDTBay4]

 

[Hagged]

He was nominated for a Vezina in 2013...

Nominated, key word here. Countless number of no-names have been nominated just for being lucky enough to play in a good team behind even half competent defenses. Niemi is no Mr. Vezina no matter how you twist it.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

Nominated, key word here. Countless number of no-names have been nominated just for being lucky enough to play in a good team behind even half competent defenses. Niemi is no Mr. Vezina no matter how you twist it.

Oh please! If you're nominated for a Vezina you were relatively good at that point in your career. You can luck into winning a game, you can luck into winning a series, you don't just luck into a Vezina nominated-season.

 

[paragon]

Niemi is just benefitting from playing for the Canadians who are extremely strong defensively. Charlie Lindgren also has .933 in 9 games. Only a truly putrid goalie would not post great stats while playing there.

 

[Hostile Offer]

Niemi is just benefitting from playing for the Canadians who are extremely strong defensively. Charlie Lindgren also has .933 in 9 games. Only a truly putrid goalie would not post great stats while playing there.

Like, you know, Carey Price?

In all seriousness, Niemi's play in Montreal is somewhat of an enigma. He looks shaky but somehow keeps making saves, he just kinda goes there to survive and has actually managed to do that. But a good goalie he is not, if he's given the starting job for the rest of the season which seems likely, expect his numbers to drop.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Its funny how some here grade goalies, Niemi has had more than just a decent NHL career,
never been Elite? right...there was a time when Niemi was on the best goalies in the western conference
if not the best, absolutely was an elite goalie, not at the moment though.

Luck was mentioned, how about seriously bad luck for last 1,5 years.
I always kept believing in him, to me,he wasn't as bad goalie what his recent
stats or how he has played made him look.

Before 2016-2017 season :
from 2009 to 2016 he was able to keep 2.38 gaa, close to .920 sv % for 383 games with 214 wins, 36 so's
Elite level numbers.

Stanley cup winner, yes his stats from those sc play-offs are not that spectacular.
However, how he played,...that was spectacular, made several game savers and highlight reel saves,
coach Q said more than once, how Niemi was the best player of that and that game.

Also he is only 34, for goalies that's nothing, i agree that he has never been fast reaction goalie,
nor this big 6 foot 4 225 pound covering goalie, despite his "disadvantages"
he has created one heck of a career for himself, recent results just keep people forget that
or maybe most of the fans who criticize him are too young to know better.

Well...this is just my take on Antti Niemi, he is playing good because he still is good goalie .

 

[Help]

He's atrocious, but probably the most fun/scary goalie to watch. When the puck is in the Habs' end, I find myself honed in on Niemi, the puck is an afterthought. Everything he does it so weird. How he moves in the crease, his stance, how he tracks the puck. I am entertained, and I hope the pucks continue to hit him. I LOVE Antti Niemi, but I refuse to believe he's good