NASHVILLE, Tenn – Both sides have made their case, now all the Nashville Predators and their Captain Shea Weber can do is wait for the arbiter’s decision.
Whilst most expected the two sides to reach an agreement prior to the arbitration hearing yesterday morning, it was never entirely out of the question it would get this far. One thing I have never doubted is that Weber would stay in
With the club electing to take Weber to arbitration, they will be bound to agree to whatever figure the arbiter deems fit for the Team Canada defencemen. And I don’t think that prospect really worries them one bit.
Weber is an elite D man. We’re talking truly elite. He was a Norris nominee this season and once Nick Lidstrom retires I’d put good money on him taking home at least one Norris Trophy over the next couple of seasons. His devastating slap shot and smart heads up play saw him finish third in team scoring. And on a team that does not score much anyway, his defensive zone abilities are just as pivotal to the future success of the franchise!
Basically, he is their captain and their cornerstone. The club will do everything they possibly can to keep him in
What does raise eyebrows then is the Preds apparently low offer during contract negotiations.
Whilst Weber is reported to have looked for around $8.5m, which is arguable market value for a man of his ability, the club only offered a $250,000 raise on last seasons contract, with their pitch of $4.75m!
For a man that the club is so keen to keep, on the surface it seems a very strange move.
Dig deeper and it becomes a little clearer in my eyes.
Weber was always going to be a Predator next season. They wanted him to stay, and in turn he wanted to stay in
Whilst Weber, understandable, looked to earn a fair wage, the Preds looked to start low in the hope of bringing forth some kind of tit for tat compromise. Signing Weber for, say, $7m would represent great value for a player of his ability, as well as saving a club traditionally financially tight with the purse strings around $1.5m! No small amount saved, and a comparable contract to other elite D men such as Zdeno Chara ($6.9m).
You can hardly blame the Predators for trying to negotiate? Especially when they installed their own safety net by electing to go to arbitration. Whilst it means they are tied to whatever number the arbiter decided upon, I firmly believe the franchise had already decided they would keep Weber no matter what – they just wanted to try and save as many dollars and dimes as they could in the process.
With the club currently around $7m below the cap floor, it is almost certain this deal will see them reach the minimum spending level as well as leaving plenty of space to tie up Rinne and Suter, who are both unrestricted free agents next summer.
One other spectre does hang in the background however. Whilst Weber cannot be swept away by an offer sheet this year, and will not be an unrestricted free agent until 2013, he would be open to offer sheets next summer if the club cannot agree to a longer term extension over the next 12 months.
However it seems almost unfathomable that Preds GM David Poile will not move heaven and earth to sign Weber, Suter and Rinne to extension this season; thus securing the teams core for the best part of the next decade.
Contact the author: rob.mcgregor@prohockeynews.com
