Nashville Predators: Five Worst Contracts in Team History

5. Weber’s 14-year deal

Nashville Predators fans are not going to be happy with this ranking, and there is a reason it is only at No.5.

It’s because it did not hurt the team when Shea Weber was playing for the Predators, and Poile was all but forced to sign it, or else lose him to the Philadelphia Flyers.  Yes, remember that this contract was an offer sheet that the Predators had to match in order to keep Weber.

But let’s not deny reality, this 14-year, $110M contract has not looked great in years.  It all started in the 2017 offseason, when he got sidelined with an injury that kept him out for a portion of the ensuing regular season.

Weber returned to playing at a high level, but the injury concern never faded, and it looks as if his deteriorating body has finally caught up with him.

With five years left on the contract, Weber is already out for the entirety of next season, and all signs point to him having played his last game in the NHL.

And if that is the case, this signing could come back to haunt the Predators.  Most likely, he just retires via LTIR, as most players in his situation have done and will continue to do.

Nonetheless, it is still a scary feeling to think that the Predators could be on the hook for over $20M in one season depending on if and when Weber decides to call it quits for good.

Weber is and always will be a fan favorite among the Smashville faithful, but would Poile make that signing if he knew what he did now, and did not trade him in 2016?  I’m not confident in that.

4. Ryan Johansen cashes in after big-time playoff

Make no mistake, trading Seth Jones for Ryan Johansen looked great at the time, and Johansen would only affirm it in the two years after.  Even knowing what we know now, I personally would still make that trade, but the contract he would get has become hard to justify.

After a tremendous showing in the 2017 playoffs, which was unfortunately cut short due to injury, Johansen would receive a lavish eight-year, $64M deal.  This deal didn’t look that bad in the beginning, but ever since the 2019 playoffs, it has only looked like a massive dud.

For someone who is known as a distributor and not a goal scorer, Johansen has failed to create the opportunities that resulted in goals in the past.  Some would even contribute his lack of a work ethic to his declining stats.

Even then, placing Johansen on this list might be viewed as harsh by others.  Let’s not forget that the whole team was in a funk for the majority of the time since the 2019-2020 season started, and all of the Predators’ top offensive weapons were struggling.

Johansen’s performance in the most recent playoffs suggests that he might be able to return to playing at a high level when working hard and put in the right situation.

It is not the worst case scenario for Johansen, as he has four years left on his contract and lots of time to turn things around.  But right now, the $8M per year cap hit looks like a fairly drastic overpayment.

Johansen needs to show he’s a top line center to justify this contract in hindsight.

3. A seemingly low-risk maneuver gone wrong

Viktor Stalberg had become a very serviceable player coming into his fifth year in the NHL, and Poile made what looked like a safe play to shore up his middle six.

Poile signed Stalberg to a four-year, $12M contract with a modified no-trade clause throughout its entirety, and at age 28, he was going to be as good if not better than he had been.  Or so we thought.

All Stalberg did was become invisible.  He bottomed out so hard to the point where he recorded only 28 points in 95 total games played in two seasons.

This contract would be bought out at its halfway point, forcing the Predators to suffer a $4,666,667 penalty in 2015 across the following four seasons.

In hindsight, this was the beginning of the end for Stalberg, as he would register stints with the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Ottawa Senators, and contribute next to nothing.

As is the case with any bad contract, you want to point at the GM for his mistake, but few would have predicted this to happen.

The relatively low buyout cost also eases the blow of this bad signing, but we cannot overlook the fact that Stalberg’s complete lack of production made his contract a liability above all else.

2. The  2019 offseason blockbuster

It seemed as if Poile had his eyes on Matt Duchene since the end of the 2017 playoffs, when the Predators came up just short of winning their first ever Stanley Cup.  It was not until the summer of 2019 when Poile had a legitimate opportunity to acquire him, and he paid dearly to do so.

In what was a hyped move at the time, the Predators brought in Duchene on a seven-year, $56M contract, and he was supposed to be the piece on offense that took them over the top.  All this move has had has been the exact opposite effect.

Since putting on a gold jersey, this decision has become much maligned, as Duchene has only underperformed.  He has put up a whopping 55 points in 100 regular season games, and the Predators have been continually unable to put him in a place to thrive.

There are many people out there who will defend Duchene’s talent and argue that he would perform much better with more skilled teammates at his disposal at all times.

And like Johansen, much of the team’s direction has contributed to Duchene’s underperformance, and he has a chance to prove his worth moving forward. There’s also a No Move Clause that takes effect starting in 2023-24.

Regardless of whose fault it is, let’s be real, $8M per year for what he has accomplished so far looks really bad.  Once again, he has plenty of years to change the narrative, but if things stay the same, this decision by Poile will look even more regrettable.

1. The forgettable saga that was Kyle Turris

All you have to do to make Predators fans cringe in disgust is bring up Kyle Turris‘ name in any fashion.  Most either forget or flat out disregard that his first few months with the team were good, and rightfully so.

First off, you cannot bring up Turris and not mention that he was acquired in exchange for a package that included Samuel Girard, someone who has turned into a stud for the Colorado Avalanche.  Even then, once Turris’ six-year, $36M contract began in the 2018-2019 season, he just became a massive dud.

Turris just never found a place where he fit, and there were several occasions in which he was a healthy scratch.  The money he was owed became more and more of a waste by the day, and with four years left on the contract, he was bought out.

The Predators will continue to pay the price for seven more years, as the penalty is worth $2M each season. The hefty price you pay when you take a risk on these long-term contract.

Without a doubt, this has been Poile’s biggest mistake as GM of the Predators.  And it is not like Turris has recovered either, as he was waived by the Edmonton Oilers last season after only recording five points in 27 games.

Unlike the other contracts on this list, there is no silver lining to think of with this one. Unfortunately, Turris takes the top of this list full of disappointment, and it will probably be very hard to top any time soon.