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The Carolina Hurricanes announced on Thursday that the club has traded forward Victor Rask to the Minnesota Wild for forward Nino Niederreiter.
Hurricanes president and general manager Don Waddell released the following statement with regards to the trade:
“We’re excited to welcome a proven goal-scorer and veteran presence in Nino Niederreiter,” said Waddell. ”We wish Victor the best moving forward and thank him for his efforts on the ice and in the community during his time in Raleigh.”
Rask, 25, has scored one goal this season and has added six assists in 26 games played. He started the year two months late due to a kitchen accident in September that saw him cut tendons in his hand. Rask is in the third year of a six-year, $24 million contract that he signed with the Hurricanes before the 2016-17 season.
Rask has compiled 163 points in 339 NHL games played, but he has only logged 37 points in 97 games since the start of the 2017-18 season.
Niederreiter, 26, was the fifth-overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Islanders. The Swiss winger has scored nine goals and has 14 assists in 46 games played this season with the Wild. He is in the second year of a five-year, $26.25 million contract.
Niederreiter has had three 20+ goal seasons in the NHL, his last coming in the 2015-16 season. He has scored 112 goals and logged 231 total points in 498 games, including his rough rookie season where he had just one point in 55 games.
The Hurricanes will take on the Ottawa Senators on Friday night at PNC Arena.
The official new release from the team is below.
RALEIGH, NC - Don Waddell, President and General Manager of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes, today announced that the Hurricanes have acquired forward Nino Niederreiter from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forward Victor Rask.
”We’re excited to welcome a proven goal-scorer and veteran presence in Nino Niederreiter,” said Waddell. ”We wish Victor the best moving forward and thank him for his efforts on the ice and in the community during his time in Raleigh.”
Niederreiter, 26, has registered 23 points (9g, 14a) in 46 games with Minnesota this season. The 6’2”, 218-pound forward scored a career-high 25 goals during the 2016-17 season and has reached the 20-goal plateau three times in his career. The Chur, Switzerland, native, has recorded 231 points (112g, 119a) in 498 career NHL games with the NY Islanders and Minnesota. He ranks first in NHL history in goals among Swiss-born players and fourth in points, assists and games played. Niederreiter was drafted by the Islanders in the first round, fifth overall, in the 2010 NHL Draft.
Rask, 25, recorded 163 points (63g, 100a) in 339 career games with the Hurricanes after being drafted by Carolina in the second round, 42nd overall, in the 2011 NHL Draft.