Niemelainen was reassigned to AHL Bakersfield on Friday.
While his physicality has been a plus, Niemelainen has been a void on offense. He's collected zero points and 10 shots on goal through 15 games while adding 45 hits, 11 blocked shots, four PIM and a plus-1 rating in a third-pairing role. The 24-year-old will work on rounding out his offensive game in the AHL, while Philip Broberg was called up to take his place on the roster.