An arbitrator set Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi's salary at $2.75M on Saturday, according to a source. The Hawks have a 48-hour window to make a decision. They can walk away and make Niemi an unrestricted free agent immediately, or accept the decision and sign Niemi at that salary for one season. The Hawks could also accept the decision, sign and then trade Niemi.

Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman expects to learn on Saturday whether his salary cap-squeezed team will be able to keep restricted free agent goaltender Antti Niemi, according to an Associated Press report.

An arbitrator awarded Bruins winger Blake Wheeler a one-year, $2.2M deal for the 2010-11 season on Thursday night, as reported by ESPN.com. The decision came about four hours after the scheduled 48-hour waiting period following Tuesday's presentations by the Bruins and Wheeler.

The Lightning have entered into a one-year affiliation agreement with the Florida Everblades of the ECHL today, Vice President and GM Steve Yzerman announced. Florida will serve as the Lightning?s primary ECHL affiliate starting with the 2010-11 season. Tampa Bay will provide the Everblades with players under both NHL and AHL contracts.

The Maple Leafs announced Wednesday that the hockey club has renewed their agreement with the Reading Royals to serve as the ECHL affiliate for the Leafs and the AHL?s Marlies for the upcoming 2010-11 season. Reading has been the Leafs? ECHL affiliate since the 2008-09 season. The Royals are also the Bruins? ECHL affiliate. ?We are excited to once again have the Reading Royals as our affiliate in the ECHL,? said Dave Poulin, Leafs? vice president of hockey operations. ?The Royals have provided a positive environment for some of our organization?s young players to develop and gain professional experience. We anticipate another productive season from our prospects playing in Reading.?

The next Winter Classic will showcase the Capitals and Penguins at Pittsburgh's Heinz Field on January 1, 2011, as reported by the Associated Press on Tuesday. The game will feature two of the brightest NHL stars, the Capitals' Alex Ovechkin and the Penguins' Sidney Crosby.

Longtime Penguins public address announcer John Barbero has died of a brain tumor at 65, according to an Associated Press report. His family says he died Monday night.

The Hurricanes say there aren't any updates in their search for a new minority partner. Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford said Monday there's no news on the plan of owner Peter Karmanos Jr. to find a new minority investor in the team.

Tod Leiweke resigned as CEO of Paul Allen?s Vulcan Sports and Entertainment on Monday, leaving the arm that oversees ownership of the Seattle Seahawks, Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Sounders FC just days before the Seahawks begin training camp, as reported by the Associated Press. Leiweke is leaving the Pacific Northwest after seven years, jumping at the opportunity to become a part-owner and oversee the daily operations of the NHL?s Tampa Bay Lightning. For the 50-year-old executive, the chance to return to hockey and have a stake in the franchise outweighed his current position overseeing three organizations under one umbrella.

The NHLPA has filed a grievance over the league?s rejection of the contract between Ilya Kovalchuk and the Devils, according to an Associated Press report. The league rejected the landmark 17-year, $102M contract last week, saying the longest deal in league history violated its salary cap. The union disputed that belief in its grievance Monday.