The Minnesota Wild traded right wing Cal Clutterbuck and a third round draft pick to the New York Islanders for right wing Nino Niederreiter on Sunday during the NHL Draft.
Niederreiter was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2010 entry draft. He goes by the nickname El Nino, according to the Pioneer Press.
“Two years from now it’ll be interesting to see how many of the kids that were selected today are at the level that Nino is right now,” Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher tells the Star Tribune. “This is a guy that’s knocking on the door. All the hype around the top picks today, and deservedly so, were on this guy two years ago and we’re just two years further down the road.”
Clutterbuck, 25, scored just four goals this past season.
Niederreiter is considered a skilled forward but he hasn’t caught fire yet in the NHL. In 64 professional games with the Islanders he lit the lamp just two times.
Fletcher told the Pioneer Press that Niederreiter’s “size and scoring ability are two ingredients that we can use.”
He scored 28 goals and added 22 assists in 74 games in the American Hockey League last season.
Hours before the draft was to begin, the Wild traded defenseman Justin Falk to the New York Rangers for a sixth round draft pick and restricted free agent forward Benn Ferriero.
Falk, 24, recorded three assists in 36 regular season games. He was drafted by the Wild in 2007.
