NHL Trade Grade: Carolina Hurricanes get bargain in Nino Niederreiter
The Carolina Hurricanes have made a huge move, nabbing Nino Niederreiter from the Minnesota Wild for Victor Rask.
It’s no secret the Carolina Hurricanes have been looking to improve their roster. That’s not surprising, given their nearly decade long postseason drought. The Hurricanes have been searching far and wide to add a scoring forward. Likewise, the Minnesota Wild have been looking to shake things up as new general manager Paul Fenton hopes to make his mark on the team.
The two sides helped each other out, agreeing to a deal on Thursday. It will send Nino Niederreiter to the Hurricanes and Victor Rask to the Wild. The trade is one for one.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
Both players needed a change in scenery. Niederreiter has just eight goals this season with 23 points in 46 games. After putting up a career-high 57 points in 2016-17, he has combined for 55 points in 109 games since then.
Meanwhile, Rask has fallen out of favor in Carolina. His extremely forgettable season started off when he injured himself in the kitchen. In 26 games, Rask has one goal and five assists for six points. He is, however, just three years removed from a career-high 48 points. Rask is the cheaper of the two, as he has a $4 million cap hit until the 2021-22 season. Niederreiter’s contract runs the same length, but he has a $5.25 million cap hit.
Wild Perspective
This trade honestly doesn’t make too much sense for the Wild. Sure, Niederreiter’s trade value has fallen recently. Only scoring nine goals in 46 games will do that to you. But as recently as two seasons ago, Niederreiter was a consistent 20 goal scorer. And, had it not been for injuries, he almost indefinitely would have gotten to 20 goals last season as well.
It’s baffling the Wild couldn’t get a better return than Rask, who has fewer points this season than Niederreiter has goals. The Wild save some money here if you’re looking for something good about the deal. But it ends there.
Grade: D-. Only reason this isn’t an F is because Rask isn’t too far removed from being a productive player. A day after making a pretty smart trade, Fenton just made a very bad one.
Hurricanes Perspective
For the Hurricanes, this trade makes a lot of sense. First of all, they’re getting a better player. Rask simply wasn’t a fit in Carolina. To get a player of Niederreiter’s caliber for him is nothing short of a minor miracle.
Next. One New Year's Resolution For Each Team. dark
Now, the Hurricanes need scorers. Niederreiter’s not going to challenge for the NHL’s goal scoring title, but if healthy, you can pencil him in for 20 goals a year. He can play during all situations. Niederreiter is an excellent possession player, which should make him a nice fit with the Hurricanes.
Grade: A+.