New Faces of Smashville: Nino Niederreiter

The Preds made some additions to their roster this offseason, so let's get to know each of them a little better. Next up: Nino Niederreiter.
Ask Nino Niederreiter about the 2022 NHL Global Series, and his eyes light up.
For the new Predators winger, a two-year, $8 million contract comes with the added bonus of a chance to play in his native Switzerland in front of more than 30 friends and family when the Preds face SC Bern of National League in a preseason game on Oct. 3.

"It's going to be really special, especially for my grandmas," Niederreiter said. "They both never saw me play live in the NHL, so it's going to be pretty special having them in the building watching me play for the first time. They're both 84 years old, and one of them never even took a flight before. I couldn't imagine them coming over to the United States, so it's a great opportunity for them to watch me."
Niederreiter was one of the top forwards in this offseason's free agent crop before ultimately landing with Nashville on July 21. He was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes by the Minnesota Wild in 2019, and he was an integral part of Carolina's last four playoff runs before becoming an unrestricted free agent after the 2021-22 season.
"Being a free agent is not as fun as a lot of people probably think it is," Niederreiter said. "It's almost like a waiting game… At the end of the day, you never know how it's going to play out. It was very hard leaving Carolina because I really enjoyed my time there, but it's a part of the business."
For Niederreiter - and the Preds - things couldn't have worked out any better. While the chance to play in his home country is certainly a plus, Nashville was an ideal landing spot for Niederreiter regardless.
"I had Nashville basically at the top of my list, and I always felt like it'd be a great place to live and play," he said. "I'm very happy to be here, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the fan base here and my teammates and the coaching staff."
Niederreiter already has a leg up on getting to know his teammates, as some familiar faces have already made him feel at home in Nashville.
"I know a lot of guys, which made things a lot easier to come here as well," Niederreiter said. "I played with [Ryan Johansen] in juniors, and I know [Mikael Granlund] from my time in Minnesota… Guys do a pretty good job of taking you right in. I went to Johansen's last night and had a nice dinner, and I'm probably going to go with [Granlund] somewhere else tonight. So it's been fun."
Niederreiter has also been friends with Predators captain and fellow Switzerland native Roman Josi for more than a decade. The pair played together on Switzerland's national team in the IIHF U18 World Championship in 2008, the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2010, the World Cup of Hockey in 2016, and the IIHF World Championship in 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018 and 2019 - winning a silver medal in both 2013 and 2018.
"I think we've known each other since I was 14," Niederreiter said. "We were playing a lot against each other, and on the national team we started playing with one another. We were teammates, and we were roommates most of the time. So we definitely go way back."
While these existing relationships have helped ease the transition for Niederreiter, the adjustment to Nashville has not been without challenges.
"The hardest part is getting the names down," he chuckled. "I need all the guys to wear name tags."
Once he learns everyone's names, Niederreiter should have no trouble fitting in with his team on the ice.
He has developed a reputation as a reliable 20-goal scorer in the NHL, having accomplished the feat in six of his last nine seasons. He finished last season in Carolina with 24 goals, one shy of his career high set in Minnesota in 2014-15. His goal-scoring ability and aggressive forechecking will make him a valuable asset in the Predators top six.
"I think that was also a big thing for me in why I wanted to come here," Niederreiter said. "I feel like they have a lot of similar players like Johansen, [Granlund] and [Matt Duchene]. They all love to have the puck, and they do the right work to try to go into the open space and create chances to shoot the puck… I feel like that's something to which I can contribute."
During his time in Carolina, the Metallica-inspired "Give me fuel, give me fire, give me Nino Niederreiter" became a common refrain among Hurricanes faithful due to the winger's ability to jumpstart the team's offense and terrorize opponents. With Niederreiter slotting into a top-six role, Nashville's forward group will have even more opportunities to create chaos around the crease. He is a reliable winger who can hit hard and potentially set a new career high in goal production - in other words, an ideal addition to a Preds team looking to make another strong postseason push in 2022-23.
"You always want to win the Cup, and you want to put yourself in a good position," Niederreiter said. "You want to win, and I see a good opportunity here."
So, give me fuel. Give me fire. Give me Nino Niederreiter.
He's certainly the type of player that the Predators desire.