Turns out, Filip Forsberg isn't going anywhere. The Predators announced on Saturday that the team and the star winger have agreed to an eight-year contract.
Smashville, your Nashville Predators are pleased to announce that we have agreed to terms with Filip Forsberg on an eight-year contract!
— Nashville Predators (@PredsNHL) July 9, 2022
The contract details have not been made official, but multiple outlets reported that the deal could carry an AAV of $8.5 million.
BREAKING:
— Dawn Davenport (@DawnDavenportTN) July 9, 2022
Filip Forsberg stays here in #Nashville!Hearing the deal is done. 8 years, close to 70 million total (8.5M) Official announcement expected tomorrow. Letssssss Gooooooo! #GoPreds #Smashville #Scoresberg
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The two sides have long been in conversations to keep Forsberg in Nashville. It was reported earlier this week that Forsberg's camp wanted an AAV on the higher end of the $8-9 million range, while GM David Poile was offering a figure on the lower side.
Forsberg was set to be one of the top free agents if he and the Predators did not come to an agreement. The winger is coming off his best season yet in the NHL, setting career-highs in goals (42), assists (42) and points (84). He has spent all 10 seasons in the NHL with the Predators and is also the franchise leader in goals (220).
With Forsberg staying in Nashville, the Predators have their star forward locked up long-term. It was going to be a big blow to their forward group if Forsberg walked, leaving a large hole in the top-six with Nashville having no clear replacement in the system.
Now, Forsberg can be a centerpiece, along with Roman Josi and Juuse Saros, for the team to continue to build around. The Predators have made the playoffs in each of the last eight seasons, but they have not won a playoff round since 2018.
Filip Forsberg contract details
The Predators confirmed that they are giving Forsberg an eight-year deal. However, they did not announce the AAV of the deal. It is expected to come in at $8.5 million a year, per multiple reports, putting the total value of the contract near $70 million.
There were some previous reports that Poile had offered a contract which included no-movement and no-trade clauses, a rarity for Poile and the Predators to give out. It's unclear whether the new deal has those clauses in place.
Filip Forsberg stats
As mentioned, Forsberg had a career year during the 2021-22 campaign. He hit 40 goals for the first time in his career and shattered his previous career-high in points (64).
He's been an elite scorer and playmaker for a number of years now, but he has struggled to stay healthy. He hasn't played a full season since 2016-17, and he missed 13 games last season.
| SEASON | GAMES | GOALS | ASSISTS | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2013-14 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 2014-15 | 82 | 26 | 37 | 63 |
| 2015-16 | 82 | 33 | 31 | 64 |
| 2016-17 | 82 | 31 | 27 | 58 |
| 2017-18 | 67 | 26 | 38 | 64 |
| 2018-19 | 64 | 28 | 22 | 50 |
| 2019-20 | 63 | 21 | 27 | 48 |
| 2020-21 | 39 | 12 | 20 | 32 |
| 2021-22 | 69 | 42 | 42 | 84 |
| Career | 566 | 220 | 249 | 469 |
