Wild GM Fletcher looking to sign RFA Niederreiter to short-term bridge contract

The Minnesota Wild are in talks with restricted free agent Nino Niederreiter and his agent, and while general manager Chuck Fletcher says the team is "open" to signing the 21-year-old to either a short or long-term deal, the preference would be a bridge contract in order to get a better sense of the type of player they're committing to.

Via Michael Russo of the Star-Tribune:

In some ways, the easiest thing to do is do a two-year deal and that way however he develops you can react and nobody gets too far ahead or too far behind. The problem sometimes with longer-term deals is one side could be wrong. So shorter-term deals are usually easier until you know the career path of the player. But we’re open to any scenario, and we’ve expressed that. We’ll see how it goes, but as long as the numbers make sense, we’re prepared to do anything within reason. Probably anything between two to four years would be the most logical. I think beyond four is incredibly hard to figure out and one year doesn’t seem to make any sense.

Niederreiter - the fifth overall pick in the 2010 NHL Draft - scored 14 goals and added 22 assists in his first year for the Wild after being acquired by the New York Islanders last summer. He elevated his game in the postseason to the tune of three goals and three assists in 13 games, including two game winners.

The potential is there for Niederreiter to be an effective NHL scorer, and while he has yet to break out over the course of a full season, he appears to be on the brink after his performance in the playoffs.

As such, a bridge deal seems likely and is probably best for both sides at this stage in his career.