Back to the Minnesota Wild Newsfeed

El Niño: An Ode to Nino Niederreiter

On June 30, 2013, the fates of Minnesota Wild fans changed. On that day, Minnesota announced a trade with Garth Snow of the New York Islanders; fan favorite Cal Clutterbuck and a 3rd-round pick had been traded to New York for a prospect named Nino Niederreiter.

Since, Nino has been a divisive figure, with some claiming him to be overrated and too streaky, defensively weak, and far too European. Others saw the possession-driving playmaking monster he could be.

From his first full season with the Wild, it seemed clear Nino made the players around him better.