Nashville Predators: Top Five Current Predator Contracts
3 years/ $3.3 million
The first player to make the list of the best player contracts signed his new deal earlier this week. Austin Watson inked a deal worth 3.3 million dollars of the course of three years. This will carry a cap hit of only $1.1 million per season. Prior to this contract Watson was earning a salary of roughly $575,000 a year. This means that his new contract almost doubled his previous salary.
Austin Watson is an interesting player. Watson has spent the majority of his time on the fourth line, but it is possible that he gets some playing time on the third line, also. While he is not typically known for his offense, he had a sort of coming out party in the playoffs last season. In 22 playoff games Watson tallied 9 points. Watson played in 77 games last year and only scored 17 points total. His offense definitely seems to be on the rise, but regardless that is not where he makes his money.
Austin Watson might be on the verge of an offense breakout but what makes him so special is his defensive ability. He was a prime contributor on the penalty kill and was not afraid to lie down and block a shot. In the 2016-17 season he finished with a total of 143 hits and 66 blocked shots. This defensive production, combined with his offensive potential are reasons why Watson’s current contract is the fifth best on the Nashville Predators.
6 year/ $22.5 million
The first defenseman to crack the Friday Five is Mattias Ekholm. He signed a six-year deal in 2016 worth a total of $22.5 million and a cap hit of $3.75 million. Prior to this deal Ekholm had a contract where he made a little more than a million per season. He more than tripled his previous salary and is still under one of the best contracts on the Predators.
Looking only at offensive production many people would assume Ekholm struggled this past season. However, this could not be further than the truth. He might have only scored three goals for the entire year; still, his presence was felt. Playing alongside P.K. Subban he was able to adjust his style and focus on a defense first mentality.
No matter who Mattias Ekholm plays the blue line with, he will be a valuable cog in the Predators’ defense. His ability to adjust his game is invaluable. His puck-moving ability is jaw-dropping, and he is under contract for five more years at 3.75 million. Unbelievable.
5 year/ $12.5 million
The second defenseman to make the list is Ryan Ellis. He is currently signed through the 2018-19 season. In 2014 he signed a five-year deal worth a total of 12.5 million dollars. This means that his cap hit is 2.5 million per season. Yes, that is right, Ryan Ellis is making 2.5 million dollars a year. When the contract was originally signed this was a considered a good deal, but now with two years left on the contract it is an absolute steal.
Ryan Ellis has consistently improved every season since joining the NHL. His first season playing under this contract he scored 27 points for the season. He improved on that in 2015 by scoring 32 points in 79 games. Finally, in his most recent season he played in 71 games and scored 38 points. Offensively, Ellis has continued to shine and I don’t expect that to decline moving forward either.
On the defensive side of the puck, Ellis is just as valuable. It is harder to distinguish just how important his defensive prowess is using stats, but the one number that sticks out is his blocked shots. Ellis blocked 137 shots in the regular season, more than anyone else on the team. He is the true definition of a dual-threat.
The value of getting Ryan Ellis in his prime years for 2.5 million is unheard of. His abilities are extraordinary, and no matter what happens in the next two years one thing is for sure. Ryan Ellis can expect to get a huge pay raise.
6 year/$12 million
The next player on the countdown was involved in a bit of controversy not too long ago. Calle Järnkrok was protected in the expansion draft over James Neal. Many people were left wondering why the Predators would leave a player like Neal unprotected, and the reason for that had a lot to do with Järnkrok’s contract.
Calle Järnkrok is signed to a six-year deal worth a total of 12 million dollars. His cap hit is a low 2 million dollars per season. Järnkrok signed this deal in 2016 following his first 30-point season and he managed to duplicate those numbers this previous year, scoring 31 points. His numbers might seem average, but he is so much more important to the Predators than the statistics show.
Järnkrok will likely bounce back and forth between the 3rd and 2nd lines next season. He is a solid offensively player, and at times he displays an insane ability to score the puck. Where he excels the most though, might be his defensive skill. He is able to back-check with the best of them and his penalty kill skills are uncanny. The former second round pick has really come into his own in Nashville and we will have at least 5 more years to enjoy his talents.
7 year/ $28 million
Lastly, we have the number one contract on the Nashville Predators, and the award goes to Roman Josi. Josi was signed way back in 2013, and he agreed to a seven-year deal. He signed for a total of $28 million with a cap hit of $4 million. Once again, you read that right. For the next three seasons Roman Josi will play for the Nashville Predators and only have a cap hit of 4 million dollars. Without a doubt, this is the best contract in terms of value, on the Predators’ roster.
Ryan Suter left the Nashville Predators in 2012 to join the Minnesota Wild. In many ways this could be considered a blessing in disguise. Suter proceeded to sign a 13 yr(s) / $98 million whereas Josi played a season and then signed his current contract as a RFA. Now, when looking at the numbers it is safe to assume that Josi has outplayed Suter. In fact, Josi’s numbers are comparable to other “superstar” defensemen, as well.
Josi scored 49 points last season, which could be considered a down year according to his previous two seasons. Regardless, this was still the most of any defenseman for the Predators. Other comparable players include Ryan Suter who scored 40, Shea Weber who scored 42 and the Predators very own P.K. Subban, who scored 40. Granted Subban only played in 66 games this year, the other two played full seasons.
Josi is definitely in some elite company, and is an offensive juggernaut. I really do not have to go into detail about his defensive ability. He is one of the most dominant defensive players in the game right now, and everyone knows it. Josi puts up superstar numbers, yet he is currently making less money per year than Alexei Emelin. This is why Roman Josi holds the number one spot in the countdown.