The Winnipeg Jets improved their top-six ahead group on Saturday by buying winger Nino Niederreiter from the Nashville Predators in alternate for a 2024 second-round choose.
The Jets have been shedding their grip on a top-two spot within the Central Division, and so they’ve been searching for some extra offensive firepower. Niederreiter ought to present that, and he did not come at an exorbitant value.
After just a few years of toiling away in the course of the NHL standings, it seems as if the Predators have determined to develop into a vendor. That is nice information for a franchise that has been mired in mediocrity for some time, however it would not seem to be Nashville maximized Niederreiter’s worth on this deal.
Let’s take a deeper take a look at how the Predators and Jets fared on this commerce.
Winnipeg Jets
Dating again to Jan. 24, the Jets are 4-7-0 and have scored two or fewer targets in eight of these video games. As a results of that skid, Winnipeg is in jeopardy of falling right into a wild card spot after holding down a top-two spot within the Central Division for a lot of the season.
The Jets wanted to do one thing to enhance their offense and make themselves a extra formidable playoff crew. Niederreiter will assist in each of these areas.
Niederreiter was second on the Predators in targets with 18, and he’s on tempo for 26 this season. Since the 2014-15 season, Niederreiter has been a perennial 20-goal scorer except for the 2018-19 season when he tallied 9 targets in 46 video games performed.
On high of his stable conventional stats, Niederreiter’s groups management possession when he’s on the ice. This 12 months, Nashville managed 52.86% of the five-on-five anticipated targets with Niederreiter on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick. That quantity was third amongst Predators with greater than 10 video games performed. Even courting again to his time with the Carolina Hurricanes and Minnesota Wild, Niderreiter has been an analytics darling.
Another plus on this deal for Winnipeg is that Niederreiter is not only a rental. He is signed for yet another season at an extremely team-friendly cap hit of $4 million. In a time when the NHL is working with a comparatively flat wage cap, discovering worth wherever it exists is invaluable.
Niderreiter ought to slot proper right into a top-six position with the Jets. Whether he performs on a line with Mark Schiefele or Pierre-Luc Dubois stays to be seen, however Niederreiter will give Winnipeg a tenacious forechecker with a good scoring contact.
Considering the Jets solely had to surrender a 2024 second-round choose, that is good work by common supervisor Kevin Cheveldayoff. The Jets aren’t out of the blue a Stanley Cup favourite with Niederreiter on the roster, however they’re now an improved crew in a large open Western Conference, and so they bought a superb deal within the course of. Grade — A
Nashville Predators
It’s not onerous to discover a optimistic spin for the Predators right here. This crew hasn’t resembled a Stanley Cup contender for a number of years now, and it hasn’t received a playoff spherical since 2018. It’s in all probability previous time for Nashville to simply accept actuality and switch its consideration to the long run.
The Preds are seven factors out of a playoff spot with simply 26 video games remaining, and their bleak playoff possibilities compelled common supervisor David Poile’s hand with lower than per week left till the commerce deadline. Nashville has lastly taken step one towards a rebuild, however the draw back is that this does really feel like a little bit of an underwhelming begin.
Niederreiter is a authentic top-six winger with a powerful observe report of driving offense, and he is signed by way of the 2023-23 season on a team-friendly deal. Given the present wage cap scenario for many contenders, it looks as if the Predators ought to have been capable of squeeze extra out of Niederreiter than only a second-round choose, even when it was a mid-level prospect.
The Predators have come to grips with actuality, and the concept of them being a vendor on the commerce deadline needs to be music to the followers’ ears. Nashville simply wants to ensure it does a greater job of maximizing worth down the highway. Grade — C
