Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Should he stay or should he go? Islanders forward Nino Niederreiter

Nino Niederreiter

New York Islanders’ Nino Niederreiter (25) skates past a sign wishing him good luck during the practice before the NHL hockey game against the Dallas Stars on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

AP

As six NHL rookies near the nine game cut-off point from “burning” a year off their entry-level contracts, we’ll discuss the pros and cons of keeping each one at the NHL level vs. moving them down to the AHL. Sometimes the decision will already be made and we’ll just be sharing our two cents while in other instances the moves will come down to a near-coin toss. Either way, we hope you’re entertained and would love to hear your thoughts.

Next up: New York Islanders forward, Nino Niederreiter

The Basics


  • Niederreiter was drafted fifth overall in the 2010 NHL Draft by the Islanders
  • He’s a large, potential power forward standing at 6'2" 205 pounds. He’s that big at 18 years-old.
  • He’ll play in his ninth game tonight against the Montreal Canadiens
  • Basic stats: One goal, one assists and a -2 rating in eight games.
  • Niederreiter is averaging 13:29 in ice time per game.
  • Niederreiter’s junior status belongs to the Portland Winterhawks in the WHL

What they’re saying about him

Islanders GM Garth Snow had a little bit to say about which way he’s leaning on whether or not to send Niederreiter back to the WHL. Perhaps playing poker is Snow’s strong suit.

“We haven’t made a final decision yet,” Snow said by telephone. “There are a lot of ingredients that go into making the decision: What’s in the best interest for the player, what’s in the best interest of the organization, how we feel about the organization we’d be sending him back to, and also the mental makeup of the player.”

James’ take:

This is another tough one.

For one thing, his name is awesome but can be used for and against him. On the plus side, Nino Niederreiter is just a cool and semi-hilarious sounding hockey name. At the same time, my inner pun lover also would love to write a horrible headline like “Islanders say ‘No’ to Nino.”

He’s the youngest player in the league playing for one of its biggest groups of young players. The thing is, that bunch is banged up, so he might get a decent chance to get some good reps. He’s also not a tiny player like Alexander Burmistrov; at 6'2" and more than 200 lbs., he can take care of himself. Yet on the other hand, considering his average of 13:29 minutes per game, he’s not exactly getting a lot of ice time.

The one thing that stands out to me is that the Islanders shouldn’t have too many difficult contracts to deal with once Niederreiter’s deal expires after the 2012-13 season. For that practical reason and considering the fact that he has the size to play at the NHL level right now, I’ll lean toward yes. But if they keep him up with the big club, they really need to justify it by giving him more opportunities to grow.

James’ Verdict: A cautious yes, keep him up.

Joe’s take:

Niederreiter has done pretty well so far. His physicality is noticeable, he’s got some sweet skills and he’s broken through the scoring barrier already. You’d think that a team like the Islanders would be an ideal place for a young guy to break through and be able to make a name for himself right away in the NHL.

That said, the Islanders aren’t under pressure to keep him in the lineup and they’d ideally like to give him more time to develop on the ice. Playing 13 minutes a game and they’ve got an on-ice reminder of how it takes guys time to become big time players in the NHL in Josh Bailey. Bailey was rushed into action a couple seasons ago as a first rounder and just now is turning into the guy they need to be an offensive producer. Doing the same thing to Niederreiter isn’t necessary to do now that Bailey is producing and Niederreiter is playing third and fourth line minutes.

Joe’s verdict: Send him back to Portland to win a WHL title.