Lightning's new backup goaltender Antero Niittymaki insists his hips are "not a problem," and he "never signed " in Russia

All things being equal, the Tampa Bay Lightning's signing of Antero (pronounced AHN-teh-roh) Niittymaki, looks like a good deal. Especially for about $600,000. He's an experienced guy who can fill in ably for Mike Smith (25 to 32 games according to GM Brian Lawton). He also has a good pedigree, having won a silver medal with Finland at the 2006 Olympics, and he has a Calder Cup championship under his belt from 2005 with AHL Philadelphia.

He also was pretty good last season for the Flyers, going 15-8-6 in 32 games with a .912 save percentage and a 2.76 goals-against average.

And here is quite the stat: Niittymaki is 13-0-0 in his career against the Thrashers with a 1.78 goals-against average and a .938 save percentage.

What makes things a bit unequal are Niittymaki's hips, which have undergone three surgeries. He had surgery in May 2006 for a torn labrum in his right hip, surgery in April 2007 for a torn labrum in his left hip, and surgery in September 2008 on his left hip, a procedure Niittymaki characterized as a "clean-up." Though he missed training camp, he came off the bench to play in the Flyers Oct. 11 opener.

"I know there's a lot of talk about my hip," Niittymaki said from Finland. "I mean, it's good. I'm not going to lie to anybody. It's not like a normal, healthy hip, but it's as good as it can be. The doctor says it will be fine many years from now, and I'll be able to play many years from now. So, I don't think it's  a problem. I feel 100 percent right now."

"In depth," GM Brian Lawton said when asked how extensively the team looked into Niittymaki's medical history. "The trainers have looked through the file. (Head medical trainer) Tommy Mulligan has been involved. There's no guarantees, but we feel very confident."

 Niittymaki, 29, sounded confident, too. He said he could play 50 or 60 games, "And the hip is not going to be a problem."

Lawton, though, sees Niittymaki playing between 25 to 32. That would give Smith 57 games at most. After playing 41 last season and not skating since Jan. 30 because of post-concussion syndrome, Lawton said he believes that is a good number. He also stressed that Smith is "100 percent" and "the starter, so don't read anything in to this that way."

As for the Internet report that Niittymaki had signed with a team in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League (reports that never came with attribution or an official announcement, by the way), Niittymaki said they were wrong.

"I don't know who put out those rumors," he said. "I never signed. There was a lot of interest from Russian team, and that was pretty much it. I never signed anything, and I don't know how it came out that way. My first thing was always to look for a job in the NHL." 

"He did not sign anything," Lawton said. "That question was asked to him and every member of their legal team."

Comments

[2WayCenter]

Buzz off!

[PD]

Two Way:
"In my opinion Lawton has made Ranger and Mezzy 3 and 4 and deserves a pat on the back from his boss(es)".

Just out of curiosity..who are the #1 and #2 D men according to Koules,( if that's the case..?? )

[Don in St. Pete]

Patrick, Thanks for the report. Gustafson and Read were invites, not Lightning draftees, so I'm not surprised. Great news on the attendance, even though I couldn't make it because of a minor emergency during my volunteer duties this afternoon.

[Patrick]

Just remembered, in the hardest shot competition, one of the players managed to hit the post and fail to get it in the net. First time I had ever seen that. Peccham even made a joke about it.

[Patrick]

Err, Tyrell didn't cash in on any of his chances.

[Patrick]

Here's my observations from the scrimmage. Hedman looks very fluid and smooth for such a big guy. When I see Mihalik and Wishart skating, they look like big guys. Hedman doesn't look like a big guy to me when I see him skate. He looked solid defensively, pushing smaller guys around against the boards effectively like killorn and tyrell and I saw him use his stick effectively as well.

I saw Tyrell leading the charge with the puck to get and create scoring changes several times. He did cash in on any of them... he looked like he was holding on the puck too long. But he stood out to me.

Wishart looked pretty solid as well and scored a tap in goal from the crease. He looked like he was trying to rush the puck up the ice to start the offense a couple of times.

Ashton looked very promising to my wife and I. He scored by heading to the net on the rush and getting a nice pass. He was of a few that stood out in terms of effort from the crowd and does seem to have a good shot.

Chris Lawrence got an assist and I saw him throw two pretty good hits in the offensive zone knocking down Mihalik with one of them. Didn't see him do too much else though.

Quick seemed to be all over the ice early, trying to create some offense.

Gustafsson scored on what I think was an impressive shot that beat Helanius cleanly. But then later someone completely faked him out of his skates in a 1 on 1 rush against the goalie.

In the skills comp, in the hardest shot it was Wishart v Hedman. I believe Hedman's best shot was 88 and Wishart's was 90?

That's about all I remember.

[Don in St. Pete]

Steve, You're killin' me. Please don't be bashful, tell us more!

[Steve-O]

Don, it was a good crowd. I thought Ashton and Hutchings looked really good. It was a lively scrimmage with a lot of broken sticks.

[Don in St. Pete]

In what may be the best news so far after the draft and UFA signings, Jon Jordan is tweeting that over 5,000 fans were in attendance for the scrimage at the SPT Forum tonight! 5k when the Rays were playing and loads of other events were going on. Preety impressive considering a blogger for the Kings was reporting 250 people watching the scrimage in LA. I am so happy for OK hockey and Brian Lawton and the hard work they have put in. Go Bolts!

[Don in St. Pete]

Casper, Thanks for the tidbit on Nolan, very interesting. I'm expecting big changes in Pansy land since they finally got the cojones to dump Martin. I agree we may be better off trying to give the kids a shot but our forward ranks are so thin at Norfolk you have to worry there nobody to call up in case of injury. Reading the Tweets from Jon Jordan as a minor emergency kept me from going to the scrimage tonight, Witkowski and Gustafson have scored for the Black and Marshall for Hedman and Lawrence for the White.

[Casper]

Gang, the pairings will shake themselves out. I hope the guys can work together long enough. Those guys should know how each other skates, and know blindfolded where they’ll be in many differing scenarios. The “shared situational awareness” can trickle to the third line, as they should be a blend of the top 6 and the last three; the lunch pail crashers that just wear out the opposing top lines.

Oh sure, Casper wants PP-QB Jason Williams very badly as did my long lost blog buddy, harvey, before Willie even went to Atlanta. So for sure, he isn’t coming here and that’s okay.
There is only so much money, plus we shouldn’t stifle the growth of that aforementioned ‘awareness’ by our pups. Let’s bear the growing pains some; didn’t Chicago and Pittsburgh do that?

The rough spots are supposed to be coached; which brings me to my irritating: Who dat defense coach? No word on the Adam Oates front; I quit holding my breath waiting to hear of a Rick Wilson hiring (HE’S to good to be true, around these parts); I sweat in .45ACP, the disgusting announcement of Darren Rumble behind the Bolts’ bench.

Anybody around here remember what a shut out is? I mean a shut out by OUR defense and OUR goal tandems.

It starts with a competent guy and a whistle. Why the @#$% wasn’t that key person in Town observing his new charges this week and weekend? Time is getting short for those big adjustments on D. Who da Man?

65 DTG

Go Bolts!

Oh, did anybody notice what wonderful thing happened to the Stinking Panthers recently? Their kindergarten, the Rochester Americans just hired Ted Nolan as vice-president of hockey ops. Yeah,….that….Ted Nolan

[Don in St. Pete]

Goop points Casper and Randy, Downie is probably pound for pound our second best guy along the boards after MSL. Let's hope he channels that energy into going to the net and an agressive forecheck this year. Tyrell is gritty and a solid scorer. He was playing on the top line with Tavares and Didomenico ahead of guys like Duchene, Schenn and Kane. It's a stretch ( do to needing to get back in game shape after surgery )but not impossible he could make the club out of camp this year. Either way his skill in the forward ranks is a welcome addition to the organization. Ashton will likely get another year of juniors with the knowledge of what he needs to do to stick here next year. I too would welcome Jason Williams if they determine none of the above are ready for top 6 forward minutes.

[cnw]

I agree with you Patrick. I think the Bolts should get Vinny's firepower off to the fastest start possible and start racking up the points. This means reuniting the MVP line. We want lots of wins right off the bat.

Stammer and Downnie were great together, and Stammer should have reached the learning curve with Marty after the World's. Malone, Stammer and Downnie on the second line should rack up points that turn into wins also.

Let's don't screw around with the lines like Toc did last year and let everyone gel and this year's Bolts team should be light years ahead of last year. Especially after a good training camp.

Go, Bolts!

[2WayCenter]

Patrick - Good post. Wouldn't it be great to have a couple MSLs?

[Patrick]

JJ is basically saying on twitter it's too early to speculate about line combinations. I wonder if that means he thinks the lightning are going to sign or trade for another forward, or if he thinks some of the young guys might make the roster. He's talked positively about Tyrell a couple of times during the prospect camp so far.

If we were to sign another forward, I agree with whoever said we should get Jason Williams (think it was Casper). He looks like a solid second liner.

I think Marty should be used like he has in the past. Whenever one of the scoring lines gets into a funk like they inevitably do during a season, stick Marty on that line. We know both Vinny and Stammer play well with him. But I think it should be kept to a minimum. I know we need Stammer to have continued success so early in his career, but we also need Vinny to get off to a good start as well after last season.

[Randy C]

hyj,

Nitty has proven, since the hip problems were corrected, that he is a solid backup. Many in Philly would say he should have been the starter last season. I would take him over Ramo any day.

Oldtimer,

Downey, IMO, would have the same results with V4 as he did with Stammer. He is so good on the puck, like Marty, and finds the open guy. Though having a proven scorer would be a safer bet, I think we have several guys ready to take the next step. Gonna be some great battles during camp this year.

[hyjyljyj]

IMHO comparisons btw Tarnasky and Artyukhin end with 'they're both big wingers who can fly and hit.' Tarnasky was such an excellent skater dead ahead but so weak from a stability standpoint, he could be knocked off the puck by players a foot shorter and could never hold his own in any kind of NHL boxing match--it rapidly became a wrestling match, down on the ice. In R2 I see a helluva lot more coordination and fighting ability but, as was suggested earlier, a very predictable shot, hence the embarrassing goal production. But unlike Tarno this guy does possess the ability to take over games.

Remember last season when he was the featured superstar in a lot of articles, esp. after he won that yawnfest of a shootout vs. OTT on Nov. 1? By the time they finally got down the roster to R2 (I think the goalies were next), their netminder was either so bored from the endless mind-numbing rounds of gimmicky garbage or so cocky & unconcerned about R2's scoring touch that he let one sneak in. R2 had had a great night besides, and from that point on he was under the microscope. I believe he is still a work in progress and can turn into a terrifying monster out there for us on a nightly basis. He's the only guy on the team that makes opponents nervously check over their shoulders in the corners, and I LOVE seeing that intimidation factor. Long as he keeps his cool--not once last season did he remove an opponent's helmet to beat his victim's skull with it--he's an affordable asset, a power forward with unbelievable skating talent. True, not strong on his stick like a Ryan Malone or Vinny Lecavalier (or even a Chris Dingman for that matter) but far stronger on his skates than Tarno, whose energy and passion on every single shift was nonetheless a coach's dream

As to the topic of Niittymaki, he's a ho-hum choice at best, but there it is. Our Achilles heel once again heading into the season is, as it has so often been, in net. And every other team we face every night will know it

Sorry Lawtongue et al., but two banged-up goalies really don't make us feel all hot-cocoa-with-marshmallows deep inside for the drop of the puck. Dammit.

[karma]

oldtimer--
good idea, but there really seems to be something special happening between Marty and Stammer. Not only last season but at this year's Worlds. Marty really worked with him on and off the ice, and you could see it in Stammer's game during the last 20 or so of the season. I think that you keep them paired with Malone, and you have one hell of a second line - maybe one of the best in the league.

[oldtimer]

Michael,

I think I might perfer a reuniting of the mvp line and have a 2nd line of Malone-Stamkos-Downey. I thought Downey had his best games last year when he lined up with Stamkos.

[Don in St. Pete]

Casper, I love the cryptic undertones....nice touch. I'll be there at the wall tomorrow night about 6:30 if anyone is going. A damm shame that none of the local reporters have said spit about the prospects camp except that it's going on. Lawton has learned from the gregarious mistakes of the owners last off season and probably knows they can pick up some help before camp if nothing develops from within. I was hoping Tyrell could make a good impression, he has the skills but has only been skating 2 months since recovering from the knee. Ashton probably needs another year at least though the faithful remain optomistic. Niitty it is and I for one will hope for the best.

[Casper]

When AHNtehro speaks of ‘the hip’, which is the one to which he refers? Why are we projecting 30-ish games for him and 50-ish games for Big Mike? What about the 20-ish games we hope to slug out in April/May/June? Oh I see, we need to shake about $4M and be ready to react at the trade deadline, hoping the new guy gets the hot glove hand down the stretch…..clever!

Wait, so we have to pay Vrbata and Krajicek $4.5M to do what, again? We can’t package them with someone minor, but useful and developing---say Lashoff ----and get the odd missing piece either in net or in our top 6? (Personally, I want to breed our own youngsters for that area ---Tyrell, Karsums, Ashton---asking them to step up while enduring their growing pains. I feel the faith/instruction will be rewarded with a short, half season wait just like you-know-whom.)

Don, I’ve liked Wolski since ’07 and would be certain this summer was a dream if he headed down I-75! Colorado brass is too shrewd for that one, eh? After their Captain rode off, I doubt the Avs will part with any young guns.

Sorry 2Way, but who dat defense coach? Don’t go generic, if we do Rumble, we will crumble.

Go Bolts!

[Don in St. Pete]

Rick L, I hear you loud and clear on Arty, but he is unlikely to be able to change what are more body traits than habits at this stage of his career. He is not, nor will he ever be strong on his stick. While perhaps he could get better, I wouldn't expect much improvement in that area. He has Hossa like speed and size down the off wing but possesses what is honestly a high school shot. A few years back when he was effective was standing in front of the net on the PP getting tips and garbage goals, much like Ryan Craig used to do. Because Arty's not strong on his stick he's easy to knock off the puck in the corners although his speed and tenacity is beneficial on the forecheck where he rushes defensemen into ill-advised or weak passes that often lead to scoring chances. Nick Tarnasky used to be the same way, I remeber Francois Bouillon from Montreal ( at 5'8" ) knocking Tarnasky over along the boards with no effort. It may be time to think about moving Arty as he will be UFA after this season. Mike P., Svatos is an interesting option as well and plays a decnt 2 way game. I mentioned Wolski because he is lights out in the shootout, although the last 2 shootout hero's we picked up ( Jokinen and Vrbata ) didn't work out so well. I understand Kristian Huselius is available as well but the Jackets want a puck moving d in exchange and would be unlikely to settle for Lashoff and change.

[mike p]

What about a guy like Svatos from Colorado. He comes at a reasonable price, he's netted over 25 goals twice in 4 seasons, and he is coming off a relatively 'off' year and maybe be easily acquired? I think he could really reasonably fit into tampa's plans, and if he's a dud, don't re-sign him (he only has a year left in his contract).

[RICK L]

don, we might not have such a problem if arty would step up to the plate!i have seen this guy at times look like he can completely take over a game and other times look completely lost.you would think at sometime he might show some form of consistancy !

[Jim - NJ]

Wait wait ONLY $600k?!? Yeah his hips r blown. Healthy he's worth a hulluva lot more n he knows that. Darren puppa after 96. Back to pessism.

Oh yeah- bring back Cory Murphy!!!

[Don in St. Pete]

We definitely need a top six winger, a guy with the potential to net 25, but he must also be responsible defensively, especially if your putting him on a line with the Vinny's. V4 will be much better at both ends of this ice this year, and V20 will be ready to bounce back from an off season. At times I advocated that maybe they would ( not they should ) trade V4 because of the rediculously low payroll figures we were hearing. I guess that was all a smokescreen to set us up to grab Ohlund. I'm hoping that Lawton offered Lashoff and Lundin two way contracts or that we can somehow set our defensive squad while still retaining the important depth players we have unless they're used in a trade to bring back a top six forward. What do you guys think of Jonathon Cheechoo? 3 years ago he won the Rocket Richard trophy, perhaps a change of scenery could resurrect his career. Another potential trading partner could be the Avs who are reportedly shopping a few players. Perhaps Wotjek Wolski would look good in a Bolts sweater? The guy I would love to see is Shane Doan, but I doubt we can take on that much salary.

[Michael]

BrianB23,

while I agree that we do need a winger, I would say it needs to be on the 1st or 2nd line. Stephane Veilleux should improve the secondary scoring that has been a problem the last few years. Who led the Lightning in goals from the bottom 2 lines last year? It was either Artyuken or Halpern with like 7 or 8 goals. Admitildy, there is no guarantee he will do it again, but Veilleux did score 13 for the Wild last year on a defensive team. And he should also help defensively. Imagen if with him we get 10-13 more goals from the bottom 2 lines and gave up 8-10 fewer due to a more responsible bottom 2 lines. That would make a major impact in turning this team around. But I do think they need a new wing for V4. Prospal and him seemed to have lost their chemisty, (maybe just a bad year I hope) but I dont think from what we saw towards the end of the year they can take St.Louis away from Stamkos. How does this top 2 line parring sound? Either or could be the top or second line IMO.

Top line: Vinny, Vinny, and someone signed to play the right side.

Second line: Malone, Stamkos, St.Louis

[BrianB23]

Everything Lawton has done so far has been great. I have a reservation about Stephane Veilleux though. Granted, I'm sure he's good at what he does, but we needed a 2 or 3 line winger who can score... IMHO. Could have spent that money elsewhere... Thoughts?

[Randy C]

2way,

Dare I say............."DITTO" ?

[2WayCenter]

Few would disagree, on paper the team is materially better going into 09/10. The draft went a little better than planned with 2 first rounders. FA has been executed to date with much more purpose and resolve. As Don points out, we still could use a 2nd line scoring wing. And certainly Casper's repeated calls for a good defensive coach will be heard. Perhaps a better candidate will step up, now that he has something to work with.

Since the OK meeting with some fellow posters, I have been waiting for Mr. Koules' promise to be fulfilled. In my opinion Lawton has made Ranger and Mezzy 3 and 4 and deserves a pat on the back from his boss(es).

And today a suitable back-up for Smith.

All of which was possible without trading V4. Ah, but not said to ruin the peace that July 1st brought to the board. And certainly not expecting any of the "trade captain Vinny or doom" posters to step up and even hint that maybe he did not need to be dealt to ice a balanced team. Of course, time will tell.