Sharks Chances vs. Sportsbook Odds Improve with New Goalie. The chances of the San Jose Sharks vs. the sportsbook NHL odds improved on Thursday as they signed goalie Antero Niittymaki to a two-year $4 million dollar deal.
The Sharks had already decided they were not going to re-sign longtime goalie Evgeni Nabokov so they wasted no time in getting one of the top free agent goalies on the market. The Sharks continually underperformed vs. the sportsbook online odds in the playoffs and Nabokov got much of the blame.
The Sharks finished last season with the best record in the NHL but in the playoffs they bombed yet again. Getting Niittymaki is the first step for San Jose to rectify some of their problems. He spent last season with a poor Tampa Bay team but was still very good. The Sharks are learning that a high priced goalie is no better in today’s NHL than a more cost effective one like Chicago’s Antti Niemi or Philadelphia’s Michael Leighton. The Sharks also have some young goaltenders they like in Thomas Greiss and Alex Stalock but Niiittymaki enters the season as the starter. Last season Niittymaki went 21-18-5 with a 2.87 goals-against average. He is 83-79-28 in six NHL seasons, many of which were with average or below average teams.
San Jose already re-signed forwards Patrick Marleau and Joe Pavelski although they did lose free agent forward Manny Malhotra. The Sharks are trying to remake their image after so many playoff failures. San Jose still has some work to do in that regard. Joe Thornton is a great passer and one of the leading scorers in the NHL but in the playoffs he is continually a bust. Perhaps he could be put on the trade market this summer.
Just how good was San Jose in the regular season a year ago? They were 51-20-5-6. That was good for the top record in the league. Unfortunately for the Sharks, that record didn’t mean much as they lost in the playoffs again. Thornton led them in points with 89 and overall the offense was fourth in the league, scoring 3.1 goals per game. The defense was also solid at 8th in the league, allowing just 2.5 goals per game. That defense could be improved next season with Niittymaki in net.