Minnesota Wild's GM Fletcher on Niederreiter trade rumors: "I'm listening, but..."

As trade rumors about Nino Niederreiter came up in the past few days, the Minnesota Wild's general manager Chuck Fletcher says in the StarTribune that these rumors are "a little overstated".

Nino Niederreiter's contract with the Minnesota Wild is expiring and there are tough negotiations ahead for him and his agent. General manager Chuck Fletcher wants to keep Niederreiter: "I can tell you with confidence that we’re going to try to make it work, but I certainly can’t tell you that it will work," he says to the StarTribune.

Fletcher wants to improve the team, but with the cap ceiling and the league expansion there are still some unkowns that might also affect the negotiations with Niederreiter. Trading Niederreiter, however, is not in his plans: "If teams call and ask about a player, I'm listening, but there’s a big difference between listening and shopping."

"Serious negotiations" about a contract extension with Niederreiter and his agent have not taken place yet, Fletcher says to the same source. He hopes that they will establish some common ground over the next few weeks, but he is not in a hurry: "There's plenty of time."