WINNIPEG – This deal can only be the appetizer, but given what Kevin Cheveldayoff surrendered in the trade to acquire Nino Niederreiter, there’s still ample draft pick and prospect capital left for the general manager of the Winnipeg Jets to deliver another course or two for this meal.
With his team in a bit of a funk, going 6-9 during the past 15 games, Cheveldayoff made a preemptive strike on Saturday afternoon, acquiring a winger from the Nashville Predators who is a perennial 20-goal scorer for a 2024 second-rounder.
It’s an important first move for Cheveldayoff, who is addressing his team’s recent scoring woes and adding a player with an additional year on his contract at a reasonable $4 million AAV.
Niederreiter isn’t going to be in the lineup for the Jets on Sunday against the New York Islanders, but could potentially make his debut on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings in what will be the final game for the team before Friday’s NHL trade deadline.
Niederreiter is a guy that can play either wing, though his preference is to play on the right side (his off side) and his skill set should allow him to flourish alongside either Pierre-Luc Dubois or Mark Scheifele, depending on what head coach Rick Bowness has in mind for him.
The 30-year-old from Switzerland is strong on the puck and is someone who excels around the net, a bona fide crease crasher with soft hands.
There’s a good chance he could also slide into a net-front role on the Jets' power play, most likely on the second unit.
His finishing ability should provide the Jets offensive attack with a boost, though Niederreiter is someone who can endure occasional cold stretches that go along with his hot streaks.
“He’s a great guy to coach. He’s going to be one of the most liked guys in the room. He’ll do whatever you ask him to do,” Bruce Boudreau said in a telephone interview from Hershey, Penn., on Saturday night. “His strengths are that he’s a big, strong guy. He’s really good in front of the net. He tips pucks, he's got a great wrist shot. He causes a lot of crap, but he won’t fight. It’s frustrating (for opponents), but he sticks his nose in. That’s what is good about him.
“The bad thing is he can go long stretches without a goal and then he’ll get five goals in five games. He’s like a lot of goal scorers. He’s streaky.”
However, Niederreiter has still managed to put up numbers consistently throughout stops with the New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild, Carolina Hurricanes and, most recently, the Predators.
Niederreiter has already racked up six seasons of 20-plus goals and he’s on the verge of a seventh, with 18 goals and 28 points in 56 games in 2022-23.
His best season to date came in 2016-17, when he delivered 25 goals and 57 points in 82 games for the Wild.
He’s a high-volume shooter (130 shots on goal this season and 1,555 in his career) who has posted a 12.9 shooting percentage throughout the course of his 788 NHL games.
That number is even more impressive when you consider he had only one goal on 74 shots on goal in 55 games during his first full season in the NHL (1.4 shooting percentage) with the Islanders.
Another thing Niederreiter brings is Stanley Cup playoff experience, accumulating 82 postseason games during his previous 11 seasons, chipping in 15 goals and 30 points.
Niederreiter also has a Game 7 overtime winner in the opening round against the Colorado Avalanche in 2014 on his resume.
This move isn’t a cure-all for the Jets, but it is certainly a step in the right direction for a team that looked like it needed a jolt after a lopsided 5-1 loss to the Avalanche on Friday.
Despite the recent hiccups, the Jets remain in the heart of the chase for top spot in the Central Division and this move is the latest example of Cheveldayoff showing his belief in this group.
According to PuckPedia, the Jets currently have roughly $4.8 million in cap space available today and that number could grow to roughly $5.5 million by Friday’s deadline – without moving anyone out who is on the active roster.
That means the Jets would still have room to add at least one player and probably a second, though that player isn’t expected to be Timo Meier of the San Jose Sharks.
Meier was believed to be the Jets' top target, though the cost of acquisition was going to be too high without the ability to have a long-term contract extension in place.
Another middle-six forward could be on Chevelayoff’s wish list, with Ivan Barbashev of the Blues ($2.25 million) or Nick Bjugstad of the Arizona Coyotes ($900,000 AAV) two players that could make sense.
It’s entirely possible the Jets choose to use the bulk of the available cap space on enhancing the blue line, but only Cheveldayoff knows that for sure.
For a team with players who expressed a desire to be in the buyer category earlier this week, now it’s time to see how the Jets are going to respond.
That was already the case after Friday’s disappointment, but the stakes for the franchise have probably never been higher going into these final 23 games of the regular season.
It’s also the most important of the 12 NHL trade deadlines Cheveldayoff has prepared for and how he handles the next seven days could have ramifications that stretch well beyond April.
Getting the ball rolling on Saturday, rather than waiting until the last minute, was absolutely the right move for Cheveldayoff but the next one (or several) will be equally – if not even more – important.
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