By Jordan Long
The Nashville Predators decided to extend the contract of defenseman Ryan Ellis. Ellis was going to be one of the top free agent defensemen next summer. Nashville didn’t want to take a chance on him leaving town and agreed to an 8-year, $50 million extension.
Ellis is a key part of the Nashville’s blue line on offense and defense. On offense he sets up near the blue line and fires his one-timer shot. Those blasts are goals or rebound chances for his teammates to put the puck past the goaltender. Ellis scored 9 goals and 23 assists last season. He is also the quarterback on the power play and sets up chances. Ellis scored 2 power play goals and added 3 power play assists last year.
Defensively, Ellis is able to knock opponents off the puck to end scoring chances. If he is unable to check them, he can block shots. On the power play kill he can poke check the puck away to kill time. Sometimes Ellis is able to pass the puck to an open teammate so they have a chance to score shorthanded. Ellis totaled 3 short-handed assists last year.
Nashville didn’t want to face the possibility of losing him in free agency. According to ESPN, Nashville Predators’ General Manager David Polie said, “Ryan is a huge part of our team on and off the ice and we are happy to have his leadership remain in our locker room for the foreseeable future. We have talked about wanting to keep the core of our team together, and this is another opportunity to help us do so while continuing to compete for a Stanley Cup. Ryan is entering his prime and is one of the reasons why we feel this team has a chance to win every time we step on the ice.”
The Predators knew they needed to make this deal even though they are overpaying for Ellis. They didn’t want to lose Ellis in free agency because of what he can do for this team. The Predators are hoping Ellis can help this team win a Cup. They were close in 2017 only to be beaten by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 6 games.
The way this deal doesn’t work is if Ellis is hurt. They can’t afford to see him go down and miss time during the regular season because of his offensive and defensive production. On paper, the Predators should be a Stanley Cup threat each and every year.
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