The Dallas Stars have signed Antti Niemi to a three-year, $13.5 million deal, committing themselves to $10.4 million in goal for the next three seasons.
Locking up Niemi doesn’t mean Kari Lehtonen is going anywhere, even coming off a down season. Stars GM Jim Nill said his thought process on acquiring and then signing Niemi was to solidify the goaltending position.
“Kari is still an elite goalie,” Nill said on Saturday after the NHL Draft. “We just, we’re in a tough situation with our travel. We have as much travel as anybody in the league and back-to-back games.