The Nashville Predators have signed forward Nino Niederreiter to a two-year contract in free agency, as per an announcement by the organization on Thursday afternoon. He posted 44 points (24g-20a) in 75 games for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2021-22 and was one of the bigger names still left on the board in free agency. He has scored 20-plus goals five times during his NHL career.
The forward has spent time with the New York Islanders and the Minnesota Wild, and has tallied 181 goals and 187 assists in 732 career games. Over his career, he’s become a solid play-driving winger who creates chances, can play good two-way hockey, helps his team maintain possession, and scores at a high-end rate. He’s a strong forechecker and consistent. This should be seen as a solid get for the Predators, who Elliotte Friedman noted were “loading up”. They didn’t have to invest long-term in the player and he should play up to, if not above the $4 million per season he’ll be receiving.
The Predators were among the teams listed to be on Matthew Tkachuk’s list of preferred destinations for a trade. This signing likely takes them out of the running in that regard.
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