The Carolina Hurricanes have acquired winger Nino Niederreiter from the Minnesota Wild for centre Victor Rask.
Niederreiter is signed through the 2021-22 season with a $5.25M cap-hit but has always had a difficult time sticking in the Wild’s top-6. Niederreiter is a strong defensive winger with offensive upside, who has always been a darling of the analytics community. Despite a 52.2 CorsiFor% and +2.9 CF% relative this season, Niederreiter has averaged under 15 minutes per game for the first time since 2014-15. He has also been limited by an 7.7 on-ice shooting percentage, picking up just 14 assists to go with nine goals (23 points) in 46 games this year.
Niederreiter is a player that is capable of playing up and down the Hurricanes lineup and could be a lethal option if they elect to skate hime with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen.
As for Rask, he missed the start of the season because of a bizarre kitchen incident in the preseason. Following a career-best 21-goal, 48-point campaign in 2016, Rask’s offence has diminished in each succeeding season. Rask is signed through 2021-22 with a $4.0M cap-hit and a limited no-trade clause in the final two seasons. The acquisition of Rask could push Charlie Coyle back to the wing, which would be a peculiar move considering he has played so well in recent weeks.
At first glance, the Hurricanes appear to have fleeced the Wild in this one-for-one. Perhaps Minnesota was so thrilled with their addition of Pontus Aberg on Wednesday that they believed they were set on the wing and needed to add some centre depth.
Brock Seguin
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