Carolina forward Nino Niederreiter coming through for the Canes when it matters most

It would be easy to explain away Nino Niederreiter’s consistent offensive production this season for the Carolina Hurricanes as a product of being in a contract year.

Or that he has been on a line with Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. (Who couldn’t put up points playing with those two?)

Or that the Hurricanes are one of the NHL’s best teams this season, and Niederreiter is riding that wave.

In truth, all of that has contributed to Niederreiter’s strong play. The winger has been the power forward on the Aho line of late, a physical forechecker who has allowed Aho and Teravainen the space to make plays and find offensive openings while benefiting from the Finns’ skill.

“For me personally it’s just been going day by day and not trying to think too far ahead,” Niederreiter said Monday. “Obviously it’s a contract year and obviously you want to try and play the best hockey you can play. But I think I’ve proved enough in this league what I can do and what I’m capable of doing. I’m just trying to work as hard as I can and go from there.”

Solid start to the NHL season

Niederreiter, 29, had a decent start to the season, with three goals in the first seven games. Then came a setback: a lower-body injury against the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 29 that kept him out six games.

But in his 18 games since returning to the lineup, he has seven goals and seven assists — four of the goals in the past four games. He has been a lurker around the opposing net, using his 6-2, 218-pound frame to bang bodies and battle for position.

In the Canes’ 7-4 comeback win Saturday at Columbus, Niederreiter tied the score 4-4 in the third period when the puck hit a stanchion on the glass behind the Blue Jackets net and bounced directly to him in the slot. That came after a shift during which Niederreiter had two good offensive looks and attempts.

“I had a nice chance and hit the crossbar, which could have gone in as well,” he said. “You’ve just got to stay with it and I was very fortunate I got that bounce and had a chance to put it home.”

Since being traded to the Canes by Minnesota in January 2019, Niederreiter has had stretches where he has been productive. He also has had puzzling stretches when he didn’t get the bounces or couldn’t finish around the net, notably in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But he’s in a nice groove now.

“The puck’s going in and that’s how he always seems to get engaged,” Canes coach Rod Brind’Amour said Monday. “It’s been good timing, too. Some of his goals have been huge.”

‘Productive on any line’

And playing with Aho and Teravainen? How much has that helped?

“I think he’s good on any line,” Brind’Amour said. “I don’t think he has more success with anyone. If you watch, it’s anybody he gets out there with, the way he plays. He’s big and heavy and he hangs on to pucks.

“We also know he can score. When he gets an opportunity, he’s one guy who can finish.”

That’s why the Canes wanted him, trading center Victor Rask to the Wild in a one-for-one trade on Jan. 17, 2019. Niederreiter, whose contract pays an an average of $5.25 million a year, had fallen out of favor with former Minnesota coach Bruce Boudreau and the Wild moved him.

There was an immediate return. Niederreiter had 14 goals and 16 assists in 30 games with Carolina, helping push the Canes to their first playoff berth since 2009. After a spotty 2019-20 season that was interrupted by the pandemic, he had 20 goals in the 56-game regular season in 2021, a nice bounce-back year.

The downside: In 29 playoff games for the Canes, he has three goals and four assists, with a minus-7 plus/minus rating.

Decisions to be made

Niederreiter will be an unrestricted free agent after the season and will give Hurricanes management another decision to make. In an interesting twist, Niederreiter’s injury allowed rookie forward Seth Jarvis the chance to play and prove he was ready for the NHL at age 19.

Niederreiter and center Vincent Trocheck both are due to be UFAs. Forward Martin Necas will be looking for a big contract and the Canes likely will look to re-sign forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who will be a restricted free agent. It should make for a busy time in the postseason — again.

Niederreiter easily recalls the first few weeks after the trade from the Wild, when he didn’t know what to expect with his new team and new coach in a new city.

“A trade is always tough,” he said. “I was there for five years and made a lot of friends and it was home. Even going back there now it’s still a little special.

“But overall, I’m very happy and very fortunate to be here now. We have a great team and it’s all about winning and we definitely are building a winning culture here.”

Chip Alexander

The News & Observer

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In more than 40 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 15th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.