Contract Termination: [WPG] Sami Niku (cleared; signs with MTL)

[Royale With Cheese]

Good news.

Finally, Sami Niku gets a fresh start.

For years, Jets screwed Sami's development.

The good thing is, he is only 24 and i hope the damage wasn't too big
and mentally he is still good.

Man, ive really grown to loath the Winnipeg Jets current franchise (mainly because of PoMo)
what they did to Laine, what they did to Niku and still doing to Vesalainen and especially to Heinola

Its not just Finnish prospects/players thou; Russian's, Czech's and Swedes too

Hope Hawks would go for him. Hawks D is fine but adding someone like Niku would be a bonus.

LMAO at this post.

 

[Guffman]

We would have drove Niku to the airport if that is all it took to get Stone

Just don’t let Niku drive!

 

[larmex99]

This era will later be known "The wasted PoMo years". I hope Niku gets a fair shot on a team looking for an offensive top 4 D.

If he does get that shot I hope he does great and becomes an NHL regular. I put that chance at 5%.

 

[BatVader]

Hard disagree.

I feel comfortable with Beaulieu filling in for injuries and playing solid 5v5 and PK minutes for us in big games. If Niku was our guy coming in for injuries I would be nervous every time he touched the ice, and he also would not be serviceable for any special teams.

There is no chance PoMo would over play Niku, but there is proven history he will Beaulieu

 

[north49er]

Looks like a 7th round pick who turned into a 7th round pick.

 

[ijuka]

Someone from Finland complaining about how the Jets develop their Finish prospects… LOL. The Jets do a great job as a Draft and Develop franchise.

Frankly, I hope the Jets stop drafting players from Finland. They seem to have a bad attitude and/or don’t want to put in the full effort to become complete NHL players.

Niku's agent says that Maurice told him to not participate in rushes, which is, well, his main strength and the basis of his game.

As always, it's puzzling why Maurice's the second-longest tenured NHL coach, only behind Cooper who has 2 cups. Maurice's only achievement is that he's lost the most games in NHL history.

 

[Filthy Dangles]

https://www.is.fi/nhl/art-2000008278678.html

- Sami informed them last weekend that he wants to leave, Niku's player agent Jarmo Kork tells Ilta-Sanomat.
The solution is exceptional.

- I don't know if there is anyone in the history of our Finnish players who would have dismantled the one-way deal on his own initiative. The initiative came entirely from Sam himself, Kork says.

- We assumed he would get a good display position, Kork says.

In the end, though, the thoughts of Jets head coach Paul Maurice and Niku on the game didn’t match.

- Koutsi (Maurice) forbade Sam to strongly attack. Maurice is a good coach, but his tactics are terribly defensive. Sami just didn’t fit into his plans.

- At the beginning of February, we asked the club to make a trade.
However, the player deal did not materialize for one reason or another.
- We always asked every couple of weeks if Niku could be traded.

- He wants more to get to play than to make big money, Kork says.
-

Sami sees that a defender like him has no use in Winnipeg.
At Niku’s request, the Jets placed him on a so-called waiver transfer list from which any NHL club can pick him up within a day.

 

[Rabid Ranger]

This era will later be known "The wasted PoMo years". I hope Niku gets a fair shot on a team looking for an offensive top 4 D.

....he will, in the AHL or overseas. He's not a top 4 caliber player at the NHL level.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Wasn't he a top prospect for the jets not lont ago?

 

[jonlin]

Wasn't he a top prospect for the jets not lont ago?

He was, but now Niku wants to terminate his 1-way contract. He is betting on himself, as Maurice didnt let him play to his strenghts. The only thing Niku is very good at, is joining the rush and PP. Thoose things he wasnt allowed to do on Jets, but was supposed to play 3rd pairind stay-at-home duties and thats a thing he isnt very good at. He didnt got any chance at using his strenghts in Winnipeg and has asked for a termination. Not many players leave 0.8M/yr on the table.

 

[jonlin]

It`s a risk for sure for the player, but I would take a flier on him if needed a 2nd pairing offensive-D. He must be paired with a stay-at-home D, because he isnt very good in his own zone. Distributing pucks, skating and O-zone is his strenght

 

[Guilliam]

Has he played on the right side? If so, I could see the Habs being interested. Bergevin said he'd like to add a PMD. Niku could compete with Wideman and Kulak for the #6 spot.

 

[jfhabs]

Has he played on the right side? If so, I could see the Habs being interested. Bergevin said he'd like to add a PMD. Niku could compete with Wideman and Kulak for the #6 spot.

I agree, I'd look into it as well. Always liked Niku.

 

[bobbythebrain]

Erik Gustaffson 2.0

 

[Pestilence]

Looks like a 7th round pick who turned a 7th round pick.

From his draft's seventh round, he has the third most NHL games. Late round picks rarely pan out even this well, though it didn't provide much value to the Jets in the end.

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

I bet Niku goes to Arizona. That seems like an ideal spot to carve out a role with the Shame for Shane sweepstakes. He'd only need to beat out Capobianco or Stralman for a bottom-pairing gig.

 

[rt]

I bet Niku goes to Arizona. That seems like an ideal spot to carve out a role with the Shame for Shane sweepstakes. He'd only need to beat out Capobianco or Stralman for a bottom-pairing gig.

I'll bet you money that Stralman plays on the 1st pair with Chychrun. Niku seems like he'd be a good fit on the 3rd pair with Lyubushkin. Leaves a middle-pair of Gostisbehere and Timmins.

 

[Barkkonen]

Someone from Finland complaining about how the Jets develop their Finish prospects… LOL. The Jets do a great job as a Draft and Develop franchise.

Frankly, I hope the Jets stop drafting players from Finland. They seem to have a bad attitude and/or don’t want to put in the full effort to become complete NHL players.

So does every finnish fan, feeling is mutual.

 

[ShelbyZ]

Seems kind of puzzling when you consider that Niku probably had a good chance of becoming a UFA after this season - Either as a Group VI UFA if he doesn't play more than 25 NHL games, or as unqualified RFA if he plays more than that but the Jets decide to move on.

Guessing the Jets had already made him aware that he was most likely either going to spend another year mostly sitting in the pressbox or might end up on waivers and sent to Manitoba if he doesn't clear. I would assume he either goes to another camp on a PTO where he has a better shot at the NHL, or signs a two-way with a European Assignment Clause so he can go back to Europe if he ends up at some point clearing waivers and gets sent to the AHL.

 

[E D]

Passes through waivers

 

[Jimmyjets]

Has he played on the right side? If so, I could see the Habs being interested. Bergevin said he'd like to add a PMD. Niku could compete with Wideman and Kulak for the #6 spot.

He's a left handed shot but actually prefers the right side.

 

[Atoyot]

Passes through waivers

That was expected. He'll get a PTO.

 

[kylbaz]

Was always a fan. Maybe I'm biased but I think the Jets will regret this.

 

[Pongs21]

Was always a fan. Maybe I'm biased but I think the Jets will regret this.

I think in hindsight, they probably regret not playing him over the Sbisas and Benns of the world. There was speculation of him having somewhat of a poor attitude about playing time (rightfully so imo), which could explain lack of opportunities, not that he made the most of them anyways.
He was never going to crack the top 6 this year and had been leap frogged by Heinola, Samberg and Kovacevic. The Moose are already crowded with our best D prospects as it is, and there would have been no room for Niku, unless at the expense of development time for a prospect the Jets intend to further help develop.
Hope he makes the best of whatever opportunity he gets. Was always rooting for him, but he was never going to pan out in WPG with how their relationship was at before the buyout.

 

[Esko6]

So does this mean he forfeited a year of one-way NHL salary? He has to have a contract ready to do this, otherwise it would be financially insane.