Paul McCann: Surprising Night at Bridgestone

I find it a little more than ironic that Josi signed for 9.059 per yr. I hope the Preds can get a cup soon, or they will be saddled with these expensive long term contracts with nothing to show for it. Good win last night.

I find it a little more than ironic that Josi signed for 9.059 per yr. I hope the Preds can get a cup soon, or they will be saddled with these expensive long term contracts with nothing to show for it. Good win last night.
- Polecat

Nice catch on the 59 irony!

NHL big-name commentators had said definitively that it was going to be 9.5m so we still got a bit of a discount. And don't forget that he gave a really big home-town discount on his previous contract so it's unrealistic to expect him to give too much. On top of that, he's still not the highest paid NHL defenseman, coming in at third. And he loves this team and this city.

I think the contract is fine for a player whom I consider to be the best NHL D-man in the league at this point. Of course, injuries can plague any long-term deal, but defensemen also tend to have longer careers, often able to continue at elite levels of play. Josi will be 37 at the end of this contract which, if he stays healthy, should be about the right time for him to end his career. Would be nice to see Josi retire as a Pred.

For those complaining about #4, his small size, etc., I don't get it and I don't agree. In fact, those sentiments are completely wrong. Ellis has great hockey sense, movement, positioning, skating, a hard shot and so much more. Will he get out-muscled at times? Of course, but even big d-men get out-muscled at times - that is when they haven't been left in the dust due to being too slow to react and/or too slow on their feet. By the way, I don't hear the same size complaints for Arvy or Rocco.

Ellis had an off year 2018/2019 but he is off to an excellent start this year. His pairing with Josi is paying huge dividends so far. I am extremely happy that he's a Pred because this team would be considerably worse off without Ryan Ellis.

Josi (5+8) & Ellis (2+11) are leading the Preds in points with 13 each, currently tied for 3rd among NHL defensemen.

It's the term I'm more concerned with, and the Preds now have a bunch of these long-term contracts that they will not be able to dump on anyone. You don't have to look any further than the Blackhawks.

It's the term I'm more concerned with, and the Preds now have a bunch of these long-term contracts that they will not be able to dump on anyone. You don't have to look any further than the Blackhawks.
- Polecat

Even with Josi's new contract, our current cap hit is $2.5m less than Chicago's and our players are younger and better with a more favorable projected cap situation going forward. Chicago's projected cap space drops to $500k while Nashville's rises to slightly above $3m. We'll be fine, especially as it is almost assured that the cap will continue its steady year-over-year increase.

I find it a little more than ironic that Josi signed for 9.059 per yr. I hope the Preds can get a cup soon, or they will be saddled with these expensive long term contracts with nothing to show for it. Good win last night.
- Polecat

The year he was born also.....

The year he was born also.....
- Predman29

The plot thickens..lol