"The Blackhawks will not lose another key member of their Stanley Cup championship team — at least for now.

General manager Stan Bowman said Monday the Hawks will match the four-year, $14 million offer sheet defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson signed last week with the Sharks.

"Niklas was a big part of our success last year and he's a part of our core that's going to be together for a long time," Bowman said. "I'm happy for him. He's a quiet leader among our defensive group. I think he got overshadowed because we have some other superstars there, but he was really effective for us all year long. He's only going to get better — he's 23 years old."

With Hjalmarsson in the fold at $3.5 million per season, Bowman will now focus his attention on trying to fit restricted free-agent goaltender Antti Niemi under the salary cap. Niemi has a July 29 arbitration hearing, but Bowman said he's negotiating with the goalie on a contract and "we're trying to get him signed. It's a back-and-forth (process) and we're trying to get it done."

Retaining Hjalmarsson was costly and could lead to Niemi's departure if the Hawks don't sign the goalie before the hearing and then believe the arbitrator's ruling is too pricey. They could let Niemi walk as a free agent or another player could depart via trade like the six who have previously been dealt. Still, Bowman believes Hjalmarsson is worth it."