After a summer of back and forth, the Nashville Predators and Ryan Ellis have finally agreed on an 8-year, $50 million contract extension. The new extension keeps Ellis with the Predators through the 2026-27 NHL season.
The biggest question mark for the Nashville Predators this offseason was the status of Ryan Ellis’ contract extension. Since the offseason started, both Ellis and the Predators stated their interest to have Ellis remain in Nashville. However, even with interest on both sides, it had been two months of no progress. Until today.
Today, the Nashville Predators announced that they had agreed to a contract extension with Ryan Ellis. Ellis signed an 8-year, $50 million contract extension. His new contract, which carries an AAV of $6.25 per season, will begin during the 2019-20 season and run through the 2026-27 season. Ellis has one year left on his current contract, which will carry a cap hit of $2.5 million next season.
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David Poile has stressed his goal of wanting to keep the Predators’ defensive corp together for the long-term, and extending Ellis is the first step in that. With Ellis’ extension, the Predators now have three of their top four defensemen (Subban, Ellis, and Ekholm) under contract for at least the next four seasons. Roman Josi will be the next step in securing the Predators’ defensive future when his contract expires in 2020.
Another Bargain Contract
Not only is Ryan Ellis’ extension a great move for securing the success of the defensive unit. It’s also another bargain contract for the Predators. A cap hit of only $6.25 million per year for the next eight years is a steal for the league’s 20th best defenseman. Ellis without a doubt had his best year last season, and he only played in 44 games due to injury. Last season, he had 23 assists and a plus-minus of +26, both of which are his career-bests. He also has the sixth-most points by a defenseman in Nashville Predators history with a total of 173 points (55 G, 118 A). That kind of production and leadership will be coming for the next eight years at only $6.25 million/year.
What a steal.
I can’t stress how excited I am to Ryan Ellis signed through the next nine years. As the team’s only associate captain, Ellis’ level of leadership and his talent on the ice is what has made him a fan-favorite (also that fantastic beard).
It’s no secret that the Predators have the best defensive unit in the NHL. Today was a step to making that statement true for much, much longer.