Nashville Predators: Contract talks with Roman Josi have hit a snag

The Nashville Predators are looking to resign Captain Roman Josi, so he doesn’t hit free agency, but the contract talks have currently hit a snag.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.ca has suggested that contract talks between the Nashville Predators and Roman Josi have “hit a snag.”

"“One negotiation that’s hit a snag: Nashville’s Roman Josi,” said Friedman. “There was momentum in the summer; that’s stopped. Unless you’re actually in the room, you’re never sure if it’s something serious or two sides grinding away. But there is surprise it isn’t done yet.”"

For now, this is just a rumor, or rumour my Canadians, but Friedman seems like he’s on the right path. There was some momentum to get Josi re-signed, but we haven’t heard much from either side about the contract talks in a while.

Some other top-rated defensemen are going into free agency in 2020, so Josi might be waiting on players like Alex Pietrangelo and Tyson Barrie to set the market so Josi can get as much money as possible.

Colton Osmond, of Last Word on Hockey, said, “Oliver Ekman-Larsson‘s eight-year, $66 million contract as a baseline for Pietrangelo,” and the same could be for Josi.

I wouldn’t be surprised if $66 million over eight years is the number for Josi. He’s one of the best defensemen in the league, so getting a big payday will be well-deserved when it comes.

One thing that may be preventing Preds GM David Poile from getting the papers signed. The salary cap could be an issue for the Predators for the next few years. With all good, young teams, this eventually comes, and hard decisions follow.

The Predators might have to get creative and find a way to clear some cap space for their Captain. This problem could bleed into the next few seasons for the Predators with Pekka Rinne, Juuse Saros, and Dante Fabbro, all having expiring contracts after the 2020-21 season.

I’m not sure if Rinne will affect the cap too much. He will be 38 years old at the end of his final season under contract, so that might be an appropriate time for Rinne to call it quits or take a one- or two-year contract.

Saros and Fabro, on the other hand, could be looking for a nice little payday as they look to get a long-term contract locked in. As much as I love Rinne, if it comes down to signing a 38-year-old Pekka or a 26-year-old Saros, I would hope the Preds would go young here.

All that is a few blocks down the road, but re-signing Josi is something that the Predators need to lock in before free agency. He’s the Preds’ Captain for a reason, and Poile can not allow Josi to walk out of the door.

Let’s hope whatever Josi’s number is can be reached by Poile. Even if we have to get rid of a bad contract, it might be worth it in the end.