Now official, the Nashville Predators have re-signed captain Roman Josi to an eight-year deal worth $9.057 million per year.
When July 2020 gets here, he’ll be the third-highest paid defenseman in the National Hockey League.
“It’s definitely a dream come true,” Josi said. “I’ve been with this organization for my whole career and Nashville has become a home for me. I met my wife here, I got married here, my family loves it here, I’ve met so many new people in Nashville, I love everything about this city and we have the best fans in the League.”
While it was no surprise that Josi got his big payday, it was quite a shock that a full no-move clause was included in signing.
“It’s one of those things I basically had to go to ownership [for],” General Manager David Poile said. “It’s something, obviously, Roman wanted very badly and it’s something that we covet very much. But, for Roman, I think this is a unique and special situation. Someone’s who’s our captain and for someone that’s going to be here for, I think, the rest of their career.
Poile has long been against these clauses because it handcuffs an organization depending on what opportunities may arise. Take the Chicago Blackhawks for example. There are six players on their current roster who boast some sort of no trade or no move clause. Defenseman Brent Seabrook is one of them and, when they approached him about waiving his no-trade so they could free up some cap space and possibly acquire some future assets prior to the trade deadline last year, Seabrook reportedly declined.
Only Vezina Trophy winner Pekka Rinne and prized off-season free agent signee Matt Duchene have any kind of clause in their current contracts, both of which are completely logical. Rinne is a legacy player and will undoubtedly be the first Nashville Predator to have his jersey hanging in the rafters at Bridgestone Arena. Duchene has a modified no-trade in the final three years of his new deal because that’s just a necessary evil when trying to woo players into your sweater and market. So much so that it’s amazing that it’s only on the last three years, quite frankly.
“No,” Poile said, very matter of factly, when asked if his stance has loosened regarding no-trade and no-move clauses. “This is a unique situation — much deserved — but no.”
But good on Poile to try and get the deal done without one. He did his due diligence and tried to keep his unforeseen options open but, in today’s landscape, this was a necessary evil in order to lock up the team captain and one of the best all-around blueliners in the game.
“I want to be here for the next eight years and I want to play only for Nashville for the rest of my career,” Josi said. “It was really important for me, it was really important for my family, for my wife. It was definitely something we put a lot of weight on.”
The two-time NHL All-Star has finished fifth in the Norris Trophy voting twice, seventh on two other occasions and looks primed to be a finalist this season.
“I don’t understand it,” Matt Duchene said. “Playing against him — whether I was playing in the East or the West — he was always one of those guys who I always thought was at the top of the League in terms of his position. After he wins his first Norris, he won’t be underrated anymore. I can see that in the near future for him. The sky’s the limit for him.”
When the contract ends in 2028, Josi will be 38 years old and I’m sure that was a sticking point for the Preds as well. That’s not to suggest the 2008 second round draft pick won’t be playing at a high level at 38 but, with the no-trade clause involved, Nashville wouldn’t be able to get out from under the contract if he’s not.
“Just like one of his heroes and fellow Swiss superstar athlete, Roger Federer, we have no doubt that Roman will get better with age,” Poile said.
After his three-year, $3 million entry-level deal expired, Josi signed a seven-year, $28 million deal that has seen him making just $4 million per year since 2013. Considering he’s one of the best defenseman in the world, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun called him “criminally underpaid” in a recent article for The Athletic but that’s hard to argue. In the 474 games he’s played since that contract started, he’s registered a whopping 327 points, including a career-high 61 in 2015-16.
At the time, the budget-friendly deal wasn’t hard to understand. Josi’s potential obviously suggested he was worth more than $4 million a season but he had dealt with some concussion issues early in his North American career and $4 million was seen as a cap-sensitive deal for the team while also giving the player some financial insurance in case the concussions continued.
Luckily for him — and everyone, really — Josi’s been extremely durable since then. Of the 503 possible games since that contract took effect, the two-time World Championship silver medalist has played in 474 of them.
He is currently tied for the team lead in scoring with 13 points in 11 games and is currently riding a four-game point streak while his team sits second in the Central Division with an impressive 7-3-1 record. Also, Josi is currently tied for second in goals and points among the NHL’s defenseman. He also leads the League in power play goals (3), also among blueliners.
Nashville plays the Blackhawks tonight at Bridgestone Arena. You can catch all the action on 102.5 The Game.
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PHOTO CREDIT: Casey Gower (used with permission)
