Nashville Predators: Long-Term Issues Facing The Predators

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SAN JOSE, CA – MAY 1: Shea Weber #6 of the Nashville Predators looks on during the game against the San Jose Sharks in Game Two of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at SAP Center on May 1, 2016 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Rocky W. Widner/NHL/Getty Images) /

Shea Weber’s Contract

Although most of us will agree that Nashville got the better end of the deal sending Shea Weber to the Montreal Canadiens, the specter of the former captain’s eventual retirement still hangs over the Nashville Predators. That’s thanks to the ludicrous contract the Philadelphia Flyers offered Weber that Nashville decided to match during the 2012 off-season. You don’t see front-loaded contracts like it anymore, as the NHL instituted a cap recapture policy as part of the CBA settled after the 2012-13 lockout.

If Weber retires before the 2026-27 season, Nashville will be on the hook for a certain amount of money per season for the duration of the contract. The numbers aren’t pretty.

Penalty per year – NSH MTL
2019-20 $3,510,000 $918,000
2020-21 $4,100,000 $762,000
2021-22 $4,910,000 $543,000
2022-23 $6,140,000 $215,000
2023-24 $8,190,000 None
2024-25 $12,290,000 None
2025-26 $24,570,000 None

Weber’s injury issues since arriving in Montreal make the odds of an early retirement look more likely than they did when he was leading Nashville’s defense. Hopefully, Weber fondly recalls his time with the Predators & doesn’t have any bad feelings towards anybody working for the organization. If he does, we could find the Predators without a ton of cap room in a few years.

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