Turco is Chicago Blackhawks' New Top Goalie | IXGAMES

Marty Turco is very clear when it comes to his goal of playing for a contender for the Stanley Cup. This is why he chose the offer from Chicago Blackhawks as the team’s newest top goalie. Just recently, Turco agreed to a one-year contract as a replacement for Antti Niemi, a Stanley Cup hero. Kurt Overhardt, Turco’s agent, said that Turco could have landed a more lucrative deal but his client chose Chicago Blackhawks’ contract offer that is worth $1.3 million because they knew that Chicago Blackhawks is a top contender for the highly coveted Stanley Cup. Overhardt also added that before Turco chose the Chicago Blackhawks, they had to turn down a variety of offers and contracts, each offering different amounts and playing terms. Because Turco’s goal is to join a team that has higher chances of nabbing the Stanley Cup at the Finals, Turco chose to be a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. What Chicago Blackhawks has to say According to Stan Bowman, the General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks, he expects for Marty Turco to make “immediate contributions” to the team. When asked about Antti Niemi, the team’s 26-year old ex-goalie, Bowman made several attempts to make Niemi stay with the Blackhawks. After all, he is just 26 years old, and has just won a Stanley cup. Despite the fact that Niemi seems to be a promising NHL goalie, Bowman has decided to let go of Niemi and offer a contract to Marty Turco. The salary cap was probably one of the reasons why Blackhawks had to let go of their young goalie. According to an arbitration, Niemi was given for the next season a salary of $2.75 million. This decision put the Chicago Blackhawks in a difficult situation. Still, Bowman exerted all efforts in order to keep Niemi as a top goalie. However, being flexible is very important, according to Bowman. Bowman has also said that he has been interested in getting Turco for some time now and has been trying to coordinate the contract signing so that Turco won’t be acquired by the other teams. Bowman also stated that “We’re fortunate that he had some patience with us, which speaks to the kind of guy he is and that he wants to be here. We’ve been working on parallel paths for a while.” What Niemi’s camp has to say Bill Zito, the agent of Antti Niemi, was disappointed with Bowman’s decision. According to Zito, his client (Niemi) had to go through all that unneccesary drama before getting replaced in the end. However, Zito has been talking to several NHL teams and he expects that Niemi will be able to land a contract with a new club soon, before the new season starts.