Nino Niederreiter is the latest addition to the Nashville Predators and the veteran forward believes he is going to be a perfect fit.

The Predators have been busy this off-season after being swept by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs, re-signing forward Filip Forsberg to an eight-year, $68 million contract and acquiring defenceman Ryan McDonagh from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Niederreiter saw a team on the upswing, as well as familiar faces in captain Roman Josi and forwards Mikael Granlund and Ryan Johansen, and on Thursday decided to sign with Nashville on a two-year, $8 million contract.

"Nashville was definitely very high on my list," said Niederreiter. "Knowing Josi and a bunch of the other guys made it a lot easier. Nashville is just such a great city and I'm very excited to go there."

Niederreiter, the fifth-overall pick in 2010, began his career with the New York Islanders. Over 11 seasons, he has also played for the Minnesota Wild and, most recently, the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Chur, Switzerland, native, sees the Predators as a team on the verge of contending for the Stanley Cup, especially after a first-round playoff series against them in 2020-21 that Carolina ultimately won in six games.

"I think they're very close," said Niederreiter, who registered 24 goals and 20 assists in 75 games in 2021-22. "When [Carolina] played against Nashville two years ago, we had a really hard time beating them.

“They're such a competitive team. They skate really hard, they're very physical and hard to compete against. … I think this team is not very far from having a great run."

Niederreiter knows Josi from their time playing together for Switzerland and is encouraged by what he’s hearing from his new teammate.

"He keeps telling me how great a group of guys the Preds are," Niederreiter said. "I think that's something that's very important if you want to go all the way."

Niederreiter says he is “super excited” to play in front of the Nashville fans and is looking forward to hitting the ice with his new teammates.

"I think I'm going to fit in perfectly," Niederreiter said. "That's the way they play, I think, exactly the way I like to play. It's that physical game, but at the same time, it's trying to bring the finesse when there's a chance to do so. That's a big reason why I chose this team."