Predators match offer sheet, retain Weber
The Nashville Predators will retain franchise defenseman Shea Weber, agreeing Tuesday to match the offer sheet Weber signed with the Philadelphia Flyers last week.
On July 18, Weber, a restricted free agent, had agreed to a 14-year, $110 million contract with the Flyers.
Predators GM David Poile previously had said that the franchise would match any offer Weber received, and lived up to his word. The Predators had until Wednesday night to make their decision, but didn't need to take the full seven days.
The move solidifies Nashville's defense in the wake of losing Ryan Suter, Weber's All-Star defense partner, who signed a 13-year deal with the Minnesota Wild on July 4.
"In tendering an offer sheet to Shea Weber, we were trying to add a top defenseman entering the prime of his career," Flyers GM Paul Holmgren said. "With Nashville matching our offer, we wish Shea and the Predators all the best."
At 14 years, the contract is the third-longest in League history, trailing only the 15-year deals signed by Ilya Kovalchuk with the New Jersey Devils in 2010 and Rick DiPietro with the New York Islanders in 2006. At $110 million, the total value trails only Washington's Alex Ovechkin, who signed a $124 million, 13-year deal in 2008.
It also marks the sixth time in seven instances since the 2005-06 season that a team has matched an offer sheet received by a restricted free agent. The only player to switch teams was Dustin Penner, who went from Anaheim to Edmonton in 2007.
According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Predators can't trade Weber for one calendar year; however, that seems of little consequence based on how important Weber is to the Predators.
Weber, Nashville's captain since 2010, had 19 goals, 49 points and a plus-21 rating last season and was runner-up for the Norris Trophy. He also had two goals and an assist in 10 playoff games as the Predators won a playoff series for just the second time in franchise history.
In seven seasons, all with the Predators, he has 99 goals and 164 assists in 480 games. He has four straight seasons with at least 16 goals and 40 points.
Weber also now will have the chance to join veteran Hal Gill as a mentor to the Predators' younger blueliners. Roman Josi, 22, averaged nearly 19 minutes per game in the playoffs last season, and Jonathon Blum, 23, played nearly 18 minutes per game in 33 regular-season games. Ryan Ellis, the team's 2009 first-round pick, had 11 points in 32 games as he got his first taste of the NHL. A highly-skilled offensive-minded defenseman, he could join Weber on the Predators' power play in 2012-13.
