Preds Lock Up Josi
The Nashville Predators signed defenseman @Roman Josi to an eight-year contract extension on Tuesday. The deal will pay the Predators captain over $72 million and carries an AAV of $9.059 million. The deal includes a full no-movement clause and will keep Josi under contract through the 2027-28 season.
Year-by-year breakdown of Roman Josi’s extension: 2020-21, $11M signing bonus, $750k salary; 2021-22, $10M SB, $750k salary; 2022-23, $8.75M SB, $1M salary; 2023-24, $4M SB, $5M salary; 2024-25, $9M salary; 2025-26, $8M salary; 2026-27, $7.222M salary; 2027-28, $7M salary.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 29, 2019
Well Overdue
The 29-year-old Swiss native has developed into one of the best defensemen in the NHL and was due for a big raise. Josi is currently on the final year of a six-year deal that pays him $4 million a season, well below the market value for elite blue-liners. Josi is off to a fantastic start this season, already registering five goals and eight assists through Nashville’s first 11 games. He plays just under 25 minutes a night in all situations and is integral to his team’s success. The captain’s versatile skillset has clearly won over his teammates, too.
Pekka Rinne, with a laugh, on Roman Josi: "He's this pretty boy, but he still blocks a lot of shots, he plays the game hard…I think a lot of people have the wrong perception of him."
— Brooks Bratten (@brooksbratten) October 29, 2019
Predators general manager David Poile said the deal hopefully means Josi will be a life-long Predator. Josi echoed the sentiment, saying he wanted the full no-movement clause because “I want to play only for Nashville for the rest of my career.” The nine-year veteran has played all 574 of his career NHL games with Nashville after being drafted by the team in the second round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.