Minnesota Wild Must Lock Up Nino Niederreiter
After posting career highs in points and assists last season, Wild forward Nino Niederreiter leads the team in goals this season. With his contract expiring at the end of this season the Wild should take steps sooner rather than later to secure his services for the long-term.
Minnesota Wild
After the 2013-14 season, the Minnesota Wild re-signed Nino Niederreiter to a 3 year, $8 million dollar contract that will be up after this year. At the conclusion of this season he will be a restricted free agent, and considering his continued rise up the Wild scoresheet and depth chart the team must lock him up for the long term by re-upping with the young forward this offseason.
At 24 years old, he is just starting to enter his prime. He is on pace to set career highs in goals, assists, and points this season. He currently leads the team with 19 goals, and has accomplished that while playing an average of 14:57 minutes a night. While he has started to get time on the power play this year, (and leads the team with 8 power play goals) the Wild should to increase his time on the ice to unleash his full potential.
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That might finally happen as veterans Zach Parise, Mikko Koivu, and Jason Pominville adapt to lesser roles and playing time going forward. But he won’t get the chance if the Wild can’t come to a deal with him in the summer.
The team will definitely have some decisions to make with Mikael Granlund and Erik Haula also set to hit the market. However, Niederreiter already has two 20 goal seasons under his belt and sits one goal away from a third, putting him as a clear leader of this upcoming free agent pool. Letting him go as he enters his prime would be a mistake for the Wild.
Niederreiter has played in every role up and down the lineup, from the 3rd to the 1st line which makes him a very important part of the Wild. His place on the third line (traditionally matched up against the other team’s top line) a vast majority of the time shows Bruce Boudreau trusts his responsibility in the defensive zone. He is also a possession wizard who is very difficult to knock off the puck.
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Bottom line is this. The Wild have a young forward they have developed over the course of the last four years in Niederreiter. He has developed into a proven scorer who will challenge the 30 goal plateau this season and possibly seasons beyond, and barring a major issue he will go into restricted free agency this offseason with three consecutive 20 goal seasons. You don’t let that kind of player walk out the door, you lock him up in order to cash in on his most productive years.