Many would suggest that Predators defenseman Ryan Ellis left some money on the table when he signed his eight-year, $50MM contract extension earlier this summer. Fellow blueliner Roman Josi certainly felt that way and hinted to Adam Vingan of The Athletic (subscription required) that he may be willing to do the same once he is eligible to sign an extension next July:
“Whatever Ryan did was the right mindset. You’ve got to make sure we can keep that core together. For that (to happen), you’ve got to do your part, too.”
Josi is on one of the bigger bargain contracts in the league, one that carries a cap hit of $4MM through 2019-20. The team already has $19MM committed to their other three top-four defenders for 2020-21 and beyond so the Predators may be in tough to keep that core together. However, Ellis did his part to help earlier this summer and it appears that their captain is willing to do the same when the time comes.
More from the Central:
- Last season, the Blues kept center Oskar Sundqvist on the roster in part because they were concerned he might clear waivers, notes Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. However, he adds they don’t seem to have that same worry now. Sundqvist played a sparing role last year, collecting a goal and four assists in 42 games while averaging 10:29 per night in ice time. With several youngsters vying for a roster spot though, there’s a real possibility that his spot is in jeopardy.
- Stars defenseman Marc Methot dealt with knee issues last season and it doesn’t appear that those have completely gone away. He mentioned to Matthew DeFranks of the Dallas Morning News that his knee is still tender at times but that the situation is more manageable. Even so, that has to be at least a little concerning for the team considering he’s their highest-paid defender and is someone they’ll be counting on to have much more of an impact if they want to make it back to the postseason.