El Nino’s best is yet to come The Free Press catches up with Nino Niederreiter in Switzerland By: Mike McIntyre Posted: 6:34 PM CDT Friday, Jul. 14, 2023

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/07/2023 (815 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nino Niederreiter joined the Winnipeg Jets just before the trade deadline last season and wasted no time making a positive impression.

The 30-year-old known as “El Nino” was a force on, and off, the ice. Whether it was scoring goals, setting up teammates, bringing a physical element or standing up to face the music when the going got tough for the team, Niederreiter carried himself like a natural leader.

The good news for the Jets? He wasn’t just a rental, with one more year at a very reasonable US $4 million still on the books. The even better news? Niederreiter believes his best is yet to come, fuelled by a motivation to prove his worth and earn an even longer look with an organization he’s quickly become loyal to.

“I’ve got to do everything I can to earn another contract,” Niederreiter told the Free Press in a candid, wide-ranging phone interview from his home in Switzerland this week.

“I know I have to work extremely hard this summer. I know I have to take the next step of trying to get quicker, be faster, be smoother and all that. And then come into camp in great shape and be the best version of myself and hope I earn another contract with the Jets.”

An impressive — some would say refreshing — outlook, especially coming from a fifth-overall draft pick (2010) who has 810 regular-season games on his resume and showed off a pretty compelling version after coming over from the re-building Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2024 second-round draft pick.

He was exactly what the team needed in many ways. The 6-2, 218-pound winger had 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) in 27 combined regular-season and playoff games with Winnipeg. Overall, he scored 24 times for the Predators and Jets in the regular season, just one off the career-high he set in 2016-17 with the Minnesota Wild.

There’s been a ton of buzz around here lately about the status of No. 1 goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and No. 1 centre Mark Scheifele, who will both become unrestricted free agents next summer if they are not signed to new deals. That has led to plenty of trade speculation, with the idea general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff can’t risk losing them for “nothing.”

But there’s really no such discussion happening around Niederreiter, despite being in the same contract boat.

“Obviously with Scheif and Helly, they’re high-end, elite players in the league. They’re going to sign somewhere big ticket, whether it’s with the Jets or somewhere else. It’s a no-brainer,” Niederreiter explained.

“For me, I’m in a different situation.”

Niederreiter will get plenty of chance to shine somewhere in Winnipeg’s top nine forward group, which has undergone a bit of a makeover in recent weeks. First off, Pierre-Luc Dubois was traded to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for forwards Gabe Vilardi, Alex Iafallo and Rasmus Kupari.

“Obviously Chevy made a really good deal and got a lot in return. Which is great. I feel it’s definitely going to help us move on in the right direction,” Niederreiter said of the blockbuster, which was out of necessity since Dubois wasn’t going to sign long-term in Winnipeg.

“Obviously losing Dubie was a loss, he’s a terrific player. But at the same time, it’s probably best for his career.”

Then came the buyout of veteran winger Blake Wheeler, who has since signed with the New York Rangers.

“It’s a big change for the organization, it’s definitely a hole which we have to fill. Especially in the locker room as a leadership group,” said Niederreiter.

“He’s been there for so long, it’s probably for the best for both sides to change the script a little bit and change the atmosphere in the locker room a little bit. For both parties, it was probably time to move on, but what he did for Winnipeg and the whole community, it speaks to his career.”

And that’s where someone like Niederreiter, who doesn’t wear a letter on his sweater, can help fill the void. He showed plenty of leadership just a few weeks after his arrival when his line with Scheifele and Kyle Connor was benched for half of a period during a game in Carolina.

“I try to lead by example off the ice. Try to be part of the community. I think it’s just a part of who I am and I try to help the younger guys out.”–Nino Niederreiter

Scheifele, who is an alternate captain and was the main source of coach Rick Bowness’ frustration that night, refused to speak with the media following the game. Connor gave the silent treatment as well. But newcomer Niederreiter stepped right up and spoke eloquently about the need to be better. It was a top-notch performance.

“I think it’s kind of what I have in my nature. I feel like I respect the game,” Niederreiter said of answering the bell. “I try to lead by example off the ice. Try to be part of the community. I think it’s just a part of who I am and I try to help the younger guys out.”

He cited the idea of paying it forward, noting how players like Mikko Koivu in Minnesota, and Doug Weight, John Tavares and Mark Streit in Long Island all helped him out as a younger player.

“I had a lot of players I kind of looked up to and learned a lot from. It definitely helped me in my career,” he said. “I feel like I try to be a very positive person and look at the brighter things in life. I try to be that way.”

And that’s important in a “draft and develop” organization, with so many young kids on the way up including forwards such as Cole Perfetti, Chaz Lucius, Brad Lambert and, perhaps in a year or two, Rutger McGroarty and Colby Barlow.

“They’re going to be the future of this franchise pretty soon. As you can see from the way the league is kind of going, younger guys, 18-year-olds, 19-year-olds, they’ve got a shot pretty quickly,” said Niederreiter.

“The way Chevy drafts, you can tell he drafts players who are going to be ready pretty quickly.”

With so much talk lately about players who either have or might want out of Winnipeg, Niederreiter is quick to defend a place that appears on many NHL no-trade lists. He feels the city gets an unfair rap, the result of visiting teams quickly coming and going, often in the middle of winter and dead of night.

“It’s not fair for players to judge a city that you know nothing about,” he said.

“Even for myself earlier on, you come to Winnipeg and it was cold, you go to the hotel to the arena. But after spending a couple of months there, you can see how much the team means to the city. After seeing that, you get a better perspective of knowing that it’s actually a pretty cool place to be.”

Niederreiter, who loves the great outdoors along with the culinary scene in the city, said the “top-notch” treatment of players from True North helps the cause as well, as does the loud, loyal fan base which makes Canada Life Centre a great hockey home.

All of which has him hoping the relatively new relationship between himself and the Jets is only getting started.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg