NHL Rumors: 3 Potential Landing Spots For Nino Niederreiter

Nino Niederreiter is an unrestricted free agent once free agency opens and it doesn't appear as if the Carolina Hurricanes are going to keep him around. He was making $5.25 million per season for the last five years and found himself on the third line of the Hurricanes once their youth started gaining traction in the NHL.

The amount he was paid is too much to have played lower in the lineup, especially for a winger where there are many cheaper options. Knowing how the Hurricanes operate, they don't like to overpay to keep players around, so Niederraeter is likely on his way out and onto another team this summer. Here are three destinations he could end up with.

San Jose Sharks

The Sharks are still delaying the inevitable and not rebuilding. With the contracts of the veterans on their team, it has made it a very difficult task to do. The team managed to keep Tomas Hertl around for the future and have two solid top-six centermen. It's the wingers they are lacking. That's where a Niederreiter signing comes in.

He would come in as the second-oldest forward on the team behind Logan Couture and Nick Bonino. The wingers are all very inexperienced and as the Sharks attempt to integrate them into the lineup, they should go out and get a middle-aged veteran to allow them time to develop properly.

Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings don't have very many players signed past next season and the futures of many of the players are in question. As a rebuilding team hoping to be nearing the end in the next couple of seasons, a veteran presence with some skill and who can play the game hard is a positive to have around the young players.

Niederreiter is just that as he scored 24 goals, made well over 100 hits this past season, and is a good middle-six winger. Goals were something the Red Wings still struggled with despite a couple of players having great seasons.

Dallas Stars

The Stars may be looking to add some more grit and goals so that they don't have to rely solely on their top line for the offense. The team shouldn't be bringing back Alexander Radulov with how his time in Dallas ended. That means there is a spot open for a player who can put the puck in the back of the net as Radulov used to be able to do for them.

The Stars have a lot of question marks concerning their forward group, but bringing in a seven-time 20-goal scorer and a player who can make an impact on the power play may clear some of the questions up.