Nashville Predators: Evaluating the ramifications of Roman Josi’s deal

The Nashville Predators didn’t have a choice when it came to signing Roman Josi. However, the ramifications of the eight-year deal could be huge.

Nashville Predators General Manager David Poile signed All-Star and team captain Roman Josi to an eight-year contract extension with a $9.059 million AAV this morning, taking one of the more sought after pending UFAs off the board.

While the 29-year-old Swiss native continues to be one of the most consistent defensemen in the league, he did not receive an $11 million AAV contract. Much to the relief of the Predators fan base, he didn’t get a deal quite as significant as Erik Karlsson and Drew Doughty. Josi could have received more money on the open market come July 1.

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The contract looks good on paper, but the Predators have quite a bit of money tied up to in their core players, with the likes of Ryan Johansen, Ryan Ellis, and Matt Duchene tied up in long-term deals. Additionally, center Kyle Turris has a $6 million cap hit for the next five seasons.

In comparison to the rest of the league, Josi’s cap hit mirrors former teammate P.K Subban, who was traded this off-season to create cap space. With Josi locked up to a long term deal, “Now what?” seems to be the question among the Smashville faithful.

The salary cap of $81.5 million will rise but Nashville is already pressed near the cap’s ceiling this season, already at $79 million according to CapFriendly.com. Much to the dismay of several General Managers around the National Hockey League, the projected salary cap of $83 million fell just short.

Should the salary cap make a little bump again this year, Poile will have to do some financial maneuvering if he is to keep the majority of the team’s roster in place now that Josi will be getting around a $5 million raise on top of his former $4 million AAV.

The other question amongst those in hockey is whether or not Josi has earned the contract. With the departure of Subban, Josi has had to shoulder a lot more responsibly. While Nashville’s defense is already loaded with talent with the likes of Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm, Josi is the quarterback of the team and while he has not won any major awards, Josi usually finds himself in the Norris Trophy conversation.

This is a move that Nashville had to make as they continue to be a contender for the Stanley Cup. Josi has been one of the more consistent players in the Predators organization and as of today is averaging more than one point per game.

The signing gives Nashville the stability they needed as well as continuing to develop team chemistry. As far as numbers go, Poile has a plan with this team and Josi is a big part of it.