Winnipeg Jets acquire Nino Niederreiter from Nashville Predators for second-round pick

The Winnipeg Jets have made their first big splash of the trade deadline, acquiring winger Nino Niederreiter from the Nashville Predators for a 2024 second-round pick.

Niederreiter, 30, is in the first year of a two-year deal that he signed with the Predators late last offseason, one that carries a $4 million cap charge annually. The Swiss winger has 28 points in 56 games as of this writing, trending a little below his career averages in per-game scoring.

Still, even on a Nashville team in decline, trending toward not making the playoffs, Niederreiter has maintained a robust underlying profile, in line with what we've come to expect from him across his 12 years in the NHL.

Nino Niederreiter, acquired by WPG, is a scoring winger who creates chances offensively at an extremely efficient rate at 5v5. Always a reliable playdriver. #GoJetsGo pic.twitter.com/CFnkYhKTRu

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) February 25, 2023

There's a reason he's long been hailed an analytics darling. Niederreiter consistently drives positive results in the offensive and defensive zones, plays a physical brand of hockey, and generates secondary offence at a predictable, solid clip.

Meanwhile, the Predators clear salary and add another draft pick to their war chest. Nothing to complain about there.