"Nashville was definitely very high on my list," Niederreiter said. "Knowing Josi and a bunch of the other guys made it a lot easier. Nashville is just such a great city and I'm very excited to go there."
Niederreiter, who spoke with the media shortly after the deal was announced, says he's already chatted with Nashville's captain, whom he won silver with on Team Switzerland at the 2013 and 2018 World Championships.
"He keeps telling me how great a group of guys the Preds are," Niederreiter said. "And I think that's something that's very important if you want to go all the way."
Of course, that prospect weighs heavily in every player's mind when considering a move, and with firsthand experience playing against Nashville in the postseason, Niederreiter believes the Predators are trending in the right direction.
"I think they're very close," he said. "When [Carolina] played against Nashville two years ago, we had a really hard time beating them. They're such a competitive team. They skate really hard, they're very physical and hard to compete against… And I think this team is not very far from having a great run."
The 6-foot-2, 218-pound forward, who finished his 2021-22 season third in goals for Carolina (24) and fourth in hits (119), is confident he'll have plenty to contribute to Nashville's effort.
"I think I'm going to fit in perfectly," Niederreiter said. "That's the way they play, I think, exactly the way I like to play. It's that physical game, but at the same time, it's trying to bring the finesse when there's a chance to do so, and I think that's a big reason why I chose this team."
Niederreiter - the most recent pickup in what's so far been a highly productive Preds offseason - will hit the ice with franchise forward Filip Forsberg, recently re-signed to an eight-year deal, and defenseman Ryan McDonagh, acquired from Tampa Bay ahead of the 2022 Draft.
"McDonagh is such a terrific defenseman and he knows how to win," Niederreiter said. "He's won with Tampa Bay and he's a terrific player. And with Forsberg… The whole League knows what he's capable of doing and he shows night in and night out how good he is. He's going to be very fun to watch and hopefully get a couple of shifts with."
There's plenty more for Nieterreiter to look forward to as well.
The Predators Global Series trip to Switzerland this fall means the Chur native's grandmother might get her first in-person look at Niederreiter playing in the National Hockey League.
Then, when the Preds head home to Bridgestone Arena, there'll be over 17,000 of the League's loudest fans ready to welcome him to SMASHVILLE.
"I'm super excited," Niederreiter said. "Playing against them was always very hard… They're a very passionate fan base and very loud, and coming into their building it was always hard to play in. So, obviously being able to play for them this year is going to be a lot of fun."
