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.