The Nashville Predators have locked up their man.
After months of uncertainty and more than a few trade rumors, the Predators finally made sure their franchise face won’t be going anywhere, agreeing to terms with forward Filip Forsberg on a massive eight-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $8.5 million.
The details of the deal, which now ties Forsberg to Nashville through the 2029-2030 season, such as its salary structure or the inclusion of any trade protection have yet to be released.
And just like that, the Predators can finally chart their organizational path ahead.
The threat of Forsberg’s free agency loomed over Nashville for quite some time, potentially plunging the club into some decidedly uncertain territory were the Swedish star to leave. Last season, even, rumors began to surface near the trade deadline suggesting that the Predators may actually flip Forsberg to another team if extension talks continued to stall. Without Forsberg, the Predators would have had to take a hard look at themselves this offseason, possibly even undergoing something of a mini-retooling in order to re-stock their talent after their top forward walked out the door.
Those conversations no longer need to be had.
Forsberg is a phenomenal hockey player, one who gives the Predators an offensive star that the franchise itself has not had throughout its entire existence. The 27-year-old finally put all his intoxicating tools together in 2021-22 to break out in a big way, racking up 42 goals and 42 assists for 82 points in just 69 games. In the right circumstances, Forsberg could even challenge for 50 goals in a season, and is now under contract for the next eight years at a lower annual figure than the Blackhawks are paying Seth Jones.
That’s some tidy business no matter how you slice it.
After adding Ryan McDonagh practically for free and heading into free agency with roughly $10 million in cap space and few players of note to re-sign, the Predators have put together quite the offseason for themselves.
Watch out. There may be late-summer hockey in Smashville once again.
