The deal made sense for both sides. The Pens wanted a veteran goaltender with a high pedigree to back up starter Matt Murray at a reasonable salary. Meanwhile, Niemi was looking to play such a role on a Cup-contending team.
Out of all the goaltenders on the free agent market, Niemi was the best fit for the Pens.
"It was two-fold," general manager Jim Rutherford said of the signing. "One, we wanted to make sure we got a goalie on a one-year deal. Some of the other goalies were getting multi-year deals. That eliminated some of those guys. Two, we had to get somebody that we're comfortable with. (Goalie coach) Mike Buckley is very comfortable with Niemi."
Signing with the Pens was also an easy decision for Niemi, 33, to make. They are the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions and a perennial contender.
"It felt like a great fit to get to the top organization in the league," he told the Pens website. "It's such a good team. The organization, you always hear about how things are done right in Pittsburgh. I want to be a part of that.
"It was a really quick process. There wasn't a lot of time to think. There some other teams, but at the end it was an easy choice."
Niemi fits the mold of exactly what the Pens needed. He's a veteran goalie that has played eight-plus NHL seasons and over 400 regular-season games. Niemi also has a Stanley Cup title on his resume, leading the Chicago Blackhawks to the title in his first full NHL season in 2010.
But the Vantaa, Finland native struggled last season with the Dallas Stars, particularly in the latter half of the season. Niemi was relegated as the team's backup and won only three games total in the final three months.
"The first half was pretty good. I felt like I had a good season," Niemi said. "But the last three months were really tough, getting pulled a lot. I had a long stretch where I didn't win a game for a month. That time was tough."
Buckley will work closely with Niemi to help him improve upon his game. The Pens are confident that Niemi can reclaim his early-career success.
"(Buckley) knows there is a little bit of work there, that (Niemi) has to have a bounce-back season," Rutherford said. "We feel very strongly that he's capable of doing that and should be able to play between 30-40 games for us."
Niemi's presence also will allow the Pens more time to develop prospect Tristan Jarry, the club's second-round pick (44th overall) in 2013. The team's preference all along was to have Jarry start the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, though they are confident that he can play in the NHL if needed.
"We're comfortable with the fact that we know Jarry can play games here," Rutherford said. "He's ready to do that. We also feel that extra time in the AHL playing more games is the right thing to do. He could have a real good first half and still be playing some games here toward the end of the season."
But regardless of how Jarry develops, the Pens now have some flexibility with the addition of Niemi.
"We felt it was important to add a veteran, backup goalie at this point in time," Rutherford said, "that would help Jarry's development."
