Nashville Predators Finally Make a Splash in Free Agency

It took a week, but the Nashville Predators have finally made a major free agent signing.

The offseason started well for the Preds, acquiring defenseman Ryan McDonagh from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Nashville then picked up another big win, just days before free agency began, by locking up forward Filip Forsberg to an eight-year contract.

Those two moves signaled that the Predators were ready to go all-in on the 2022-2023 season, so I had high hopes for what this club would do with its cap space come the beginning of free agency. I was therefore very disappointed when the answer turned out to be nothing.

However, with the market sort of frozen while the league waits for Nazem Kadri to choose a destination, there are still plenty of quality players yet to be signed. Nashville found one of them on Thursday.

The Predators finally made a splash in free agency.

Forward Nino Niederreiter, who spent the last three and a half seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, signed a two-year deal with the Preds worth $4 million per season.

Last year with the Canes, the 29-year-old recorded 24 goals and 20 assists for 44 points in 75 games played. His plus-29 rating was the best among Hurricanes forwards.

In 732 NHL games with the New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild, and Hurricanes, Niederreiter has scored 181 goals, 187 assists, and 368 points. He recorded a career-high 57 points during the 2016-2017 campaign with the Wild, which included 14 power play points.

With this move, the Predators gain a player that can be a reliable secondary scoring option for a team that finished 12th in goals per game a season ago. He will also be able to chip in while playing with the man advantage.

I expect him to play in a top-six role, making this the first skater signed by Nashville this summer that will be a full-time, effective NHL player.

In addition, Niederreiter will bring playoff experience to a team that seems set on taking another run at the Stanley Cup. He has played 82 postseason contests in his career, notching 15 goals and 15 assists.

This is an affordable deal for the Predators that is low risk, since it’s only for two years, and high reward given Niederreiter’s effectiveness in the NHL. It also leaves them with some cap space to potentially make another significant move.

It took some time, but the Predators have finally made a major signing this summer. We’ll wait to see if another one is on the horizon.