Niederreiter became Switzerland's highest NHL draft pick when the New York Islanders selected him at No. 5 in the 2010 NHL Draft. Instead of staying in the system of his Swiss club, HC Davos, the forward opted to play junior hockey in North America.

Playing for Portland of the Western Hockey League in the 2009-10 season, Niederreiter scored a team-leading 36 goals and ranked second among WHL rookies. Niederreiter was also named to the all-star team at the 2010 World Junior Championship. 

Niederreiter became the youngest player in Islanders history when he debuted on Oct. 9, 2010. Four days later, at the age of 18 years and 35 days, Niederreiter became the youngest player in team history and the fifth-youngest player of NHL's post-1967 expansion era to score a goal. 

But after Niederreiter had one goal and two points in nine NHL games, New York returned him to Portland, where he had 41 goals and 70 points in 55 games. He spent most of 2011-12 playing on New York's fourth line, registering one goal in 55 games with a minus-29 rating that ranked second-worst in the league. 

Dispatched to the AHL during the 2012-13 NHL lockout, Niederreiter did not get invited to New York's NHL training camp when the labor dispute ended. He had 28 goals and 50 points in 74 games for Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. 

On June 30, 2013, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild for Cal Clutterbuck and a third-round draft pick, and would begin establishing himself as a hard-hitting, productive forward.