The Winnipeg Jets have sent a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL entry draft to the Nashville Predators in exchange for left winger Nino Niederreiter. The hockey team confirmed the transaction late Saturday afternoon.
The 30-year-old Swiss native is in his 12th NHL season and has scored 18 goals to go along with 10 assists for 28 points in 56 games. He is under contract for the remainder of this season and 2023-24, with a cap hit of US$4 million.
The 6-2, 218 pound Niederreiter fills a hole in the Jets’ top six created from an upper body injury to Cole Perfetti. On Friday, Winnipeg Head Coach Rick Bowness told reporters Perfetti is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of eight weeks.
Mason Appleton has been elevated to a top six role on a line with Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor in the two games Winnipeg has played since Perfetti was injured.
Niederreiter will arrive in Winnipeg on a modest hot streak after scoring four goals in his last three games while playing on Nashville’s second line with Matt Duchene and Thomas Novak.
The versatile forward, who has played both left and right wing for the Predators this season, had also skated with Ryan Johansen and Mikael Granlund earlier this season before Johansen was injured.
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Nashville played in San Jose on Thursday and practiced on Saturday in Arizona ahead of tomorrow night’s game at Mullet Arena. It’s not known if Niederreiter will be able to get to Winnipeg in time for tomorrow afternoon’s 2:30 p.m. CT faceoff versus the NY Islanders.
Niederreiter was the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft by the Islanders and made his NHL debut on October 9 later that year versus Dallas. He played eight more games before being returned to Portland, of the Western Hockey League.
Niederreiter became a full time NHLer the following season and has also played for Minnesota and Carolina. The native of Chur, Switzerland, has compiled career stats of 199 goals and 197 assists for 396 points in 788 NHL games played.
The NHL trade deadline expires at 2 p.m. CT on Friday, March 3.
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