Stars sign Antti Niemi to 3-year contract worth a reported $13.5 million

The Dallas Stars have secured some insurance in net.

The club has signed Antti Niemi to a three-year contract worth a reported $13.5 million, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.

General manager Jim Nill secured Niemi's rights at the NHL Draft in exchange for the 193rd selection, and said he'd be fine adding the former San Jose Sharks goalie alongside incumbent Kari Lehtonen, citing healthy competition.

"We acquired Antti's rights with the expectation to get him signed and we're thrilled to have come to an agreement this quickly," Nill said in a statement Monday. "This gives us two upper-echelon goaltenders and the quality of depth at that position will provide us a great chance to win on a nightly basis."

The Stars now have $10.4 million committed to their goalies through the end of the 2017-18 season, with Lehtonen on the books with a cap hit of $5.9 million combined with Niemi's $4.5 million average annual valuation.

Dallas posted the second-lowest team save percentage, undermining a potent offense. Help was needed in net, but that's a whole lot of cap space tied into one position.

In 2014-15, Lehtonen, 31, posted a record of 34-17-10, with a save percentage of .903, while Niemi, also 31, went 31-23-7 with a .914 save percentage.