Niederreiter made his NHL debut with the Islanders early in the 2010–11 season before being returned to his junior club, the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League (WHL).

Prior to coming to North America, Niederreiter had played in the junior system of the Swiss team HC Davos and appeared in three playoff games for the senior club in 2010.

After finding difficulty securing playtime with the Islanders, Niederreiter requested a trade and subsequently was dealt to the Minnesota Wild, where he spent parts of five seasons.

[1] Niederreiter followed in the footsteps of his Swiss teammate and friend Luca Sbisa and declared himself eligible for the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.

He scored with 2:38 remaining in the first period on top-ranked goaltender Calvin Pickard to give Team Orr a 1–0 lead at the break.

Niederreiter spent the 2011–12 season as a member of the Islanders, where he was used primarily on the fourth line to gain experience alongside defensive veterans Marty Reasoner and Jay Pandolfo.

As a result of the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Niederreiter was assigned to the Islanders' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

"[15] On 30 June 2013, Niederreiter was traded to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for Cal Clutterbuck and the New Jersey Devils' third-round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

On 17 April 2014, Niederreiter made his Stanley Cup playoff debut in Game 1 of Minnesota first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche; he recorded an assist in the Wild's eventual 5–4 overtime loss.

On 25 February 2023, Neiderreiter was traded to Central Division rivals, the Winnipeg Jets, in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

[23] Niederreiter first played in an international tournament when he took part in the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships held in Russia for the Switzerland men's national under-18 ice hockey team.

At the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Niederreiter led the Switzerland men's national junior ice hockey team to an upset of Russia by scoring two goals in a 3–2 victory; his first goal came in the final minute of regulation play to send the game to overtime, and his second was the overtime winner.

Kadri did not elaborate on the specifics of what caused his refusal, but did absolve Niederreiter of using an ethnic slur, saying, "Obviously, in big games like that, guys tend to lose their composure a bit, but I didn't take offence to anything he said.