Winnipeg Jets acquire Nino Niederreiter from Nashville Predators

A busy week of NHL transactions continued into Saturday when the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets struck a deal sending winger Nino Niederreiter to Winnipeg in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick. 

The Swiss forward will bolster Winnipeg’s middle six as they try to strengthen their position in a tight race to the summit of the Central Division.

The trade news comes just days after Jets coach Rick Bowness announced that rookie forward Cole Perfetti will miss eight weeks with an upper-body injury that saw him moved to the IR on Feb. 21. Perfetti was third in rookie scoring and playing on Winnipeg’s top line at the time of his injury.

Niederreiter is in the first year of a two-year $8 million contract he signed with Nashville in the summer. The Predators traded the winger while they sat 8 points adrift of the Seattle Kraken for the last wildcard in the Western Conference. They are in a selling position after losing center Ryan Johansen to a season-long injury earlier in the week.

Niederreiter was second in goals (18) on Nashville and is on pace for a third-consecutive 20-goal season.

The Jets missed an opportunity to claim the Central Division’s top spot in a limp effort Friday at home against the Colorado Avalanche, who routed them 5-1. Winnipeg will hope that Neiderreiter’s addition will propel them to better performances as they round out their homestand against the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Kings.

The Jets trail the Stars by just a point but themselves are only a single point clear of the third-place Minnesota Wild and two points ahead of the Avalanche, who occupy a wild card spot. With 23 games left to play, Winnipeg will hope to secure home ice in the playoffs.