Nino Niederreiter Re-signed: What it Means for the Wild

Nino Niederreiter inks three year deal with Wild

Breathe Easy, Wild fans. Earlier this evening, Dustin brought you the fantastic news that Nino Niederreiter has spurned the KHL and re-signed with the Minnesota Wild for three more years. Now, we take a look at the Swiss snipers contribution to the Wild and what it means for the future of our beloved club.

 Contract Recap

Although the information is unconfirmed, initial reports from the Star Tribune’s Michael Russo are that Niederreiter’s contract is worth $8 million  over 3 years, carrying a $2.66 million cap hit. According to Capgeek, this leaves the wild with around $6.9 million  to spend before reaching the salary cap.  With only Darcy Kuemper remaining to resign, I’d imagine the Wild are quite happy with where they stand financially.

This bridge contract gives Niederreiter a chance to prove himself to the club and gives the Wild a chance to re-sign him in 2017; a year where (as of today) only one other forward, Thomas Vanek, is an unrestricted free agent. Wild Prospects Brady Brassart, Gustav Olofsson, Kurtis Gabriel, Zack Mitchell and Guillaume Gelinas will join Niederreiter as restricted free agents in 2017.

This “bridge contract” gives Niederreiter a chance to prove himself

2013-2014 Season Recap

Niederreiter, taken by the New York Islanders as the 5th overall pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft, spent the first years of his entry-level contract toiling away in the AHL with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. After a rocky relationship with the Islanders in which Niederreiter played limited minutes through 64 games in the NHL over three years, Niederreiter requested a trade. His wish was granted at the 2013 NHL entry draft, where the Wild sent fan favorite Cal Clutterbuck to Long Island along with the 70th overall pick in the 2013 draft for Niederreiter.

Niederreiter used the 2013 training camp to supplant himself on to the Wild roster over Jason Zucker, the overtime hero of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs. During training camp Niederreiter obviously impressed Yeo, who called his shot “silly hard.”

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Cardiac Cane

Only missing one game in the regular season, Niederreiter posted very respectable offensive numbers, with 14 goals and 36 points through 81 games, averaging just over 14 minutes of ice time a night. Niederreiter’s defensive play was just as respectable, with his 175 hits leading all forwards. It’s also worth noting his 23 blocked shots and +12 rating.

According to the fantastic new stats site War on Ice, Niederreiter’s offensive zone start percentage, 56.82 ranked fifth among Wild forwards behind only Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, Jason Pomminvile. and Jason Zucker. His 5 on 5 Fenwick (all unblocked shot attempts) and Fenwick Relative both ranked fourth among the team, both just above Charlie Coyle.

We all remember Nino’s defining goal in game 7 of the first round of the playoffs, but he did so much more, potting 3 goals and adding 3 assists throughout 13 playoff games.

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• Minnesota Wild draft heavy on centers and home-state selections
• Minnesota Wild open regular season at home against Stanley Cup Finalist

Putting it all together

We’ve seen his stats, and we’ve seen him play an almost full season healthy. Now we have him for three more years. The statistics seem to point towards adding Nino Niederreiter to the second line in place of Charlie Coyle; however, this is only one full season. Coyle has shown grit, prowess, and a nose for the net just as much as Nino. Time will tell with this budding Swiss Star, but his contribution to the Wild are undeniable as they continue to push for the playoffs. What do you think, readers? in the poll below, tell us where you think Niederreiter ends up with the Wild.

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