The Nashville Predators just signed their last roster Free Agent for this season before Arbitration.
The Nashville Predators signed both Petter Granberg and Calle Jarnkrok to two and six-year deals the past few days. Both of them had been scheduled for Arbitration at the beginning of August.
That took care of all of the rosters Free Agents they had to sign although they still have defenseman Stefan Elliot who is a Restricted Free Agent in Milwaukee to sign. He is the player they traded Victor Bartley for and is expected to be added soon.
They also signed Matt Carle as a Free Agent to a one-year deal. That brings us to who is going to be Free Agents, either Restricted or Unrestricted for next season. The Predators have done a great job of managing the Salary Cap and we expect that to continue. Let’s face it though, it is a business.
There are actually eight players who will be Free Agents next season but we are going to count it as nine as Potus Aberg is also a Restricted Free Agent and he may or may not be on the roster so we will include him. Here they are with this season’s Cap Hit:
Unrestricted Free Agents
Mike Fisher – $4,400,000
It is unknown if Fisher will want to play another year. He is 36-years old right now and a lot will depend on how he plays this season and if he wants to come back. He is a big part of the heart and soul of the team and if he wanted to, we could see the Preds signing him on a year-to-year deal for perhaps a bit less.
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Mike Ribeiro – $3,500,000
Like Fisher, Ribeiro will be 36 at the start of this season. Unless he has a tremendous year or there is just no one to replace him, we don’t see any way that the Nashville Predators and Ribeiro won’t part ways before the beginning of next season. If not sooner.
Yannick Weber – $575,000
The Nashville Predators just signed Weber to a one-year contract and it is to another of GM David Poile’s patented “Prove It” deals. If Weber has a great season, he will get a nice contract. If he doesn’t he will be expendable and Poile will bring in someone else or someone up from Milwaukee.
Mathew Carle – $700,000
See Yannick Weber above. Although the difference is that Carle is 31-years old and Weber is only 27. With Anthony Bitetto, Petter Granberg and prospects waiting in the wings, Carle would have to really have a great season to continue with the Preds.
Restricted Free Agents
Ryan Johansen – $4,000,000
This is the big one. Johansen and Columbus had contentious negotiations on his last contract. It would be nice to see something similar to Forsberg’s contract as an extension early this season. He is Restricted so we know that we can keep him, it just matters on the price. Both sides could wait to see how this season goes but he’s a big part of the offensive plan.
Viktor Arvidsson – $631,666
It would be great to see Arvidsson really break out and score a bunch more this season. He is not shy about shooting. He should fit the new fast-break style well and if he makes big increases he will get a much better contract. We fully expect him to be a part of the team in future seasons.
Austin Watson – $575,000
The former first-round pick is in kind of his own “Prove It” season. He was with the Preds all last season but didn’t get into a game in the playoffs. He will probably be taking over Eric Nystrom‘s spot this season but he needs to show what he can do to stay with the Predators after this year.
Pontus Aberg – $780,833
Aberg is only 22-years old and was one of the top scorers in Milwaukee last season. He was brought up for two games in the Playoffs last season but didn’t score here. With the Predators probably going to lose a forward in the Expansion Draft, there is a great chance that he will either sign a Bridge or Long-term contract and stay with the Predators.
Marek Mazanec – $575,000
Your guess is as good as ours on this one. So many different things could happen this season with the goaltenders. It depends on Pekka Rinne and his success as well as Juuse Saros‘ play in Milwaukee. That’s not to mention Jonas Gunnarsson who was recently signed to a one-year deal. Marek Mazanec is a wild card in so many ways.
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There you have it. A lot can happen between now and then including trades and incoming Free Agents. One way or another, with the exception of Johansen, it shouldn’t be too painful.