The Nashville Predators have re-signed defenseman Yannick Weber to a one-year contract. The contract is worth $650K, the league minimum in 2017-18. Weber would have been an unrestricted free agent this summer, but instead will come back to the team that he just helped get all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
Weber played in 73 regular season contests with the Predators, but logged an average of fewer than 12 minutes a night. Sheltered extensively along with Matt Irwin, he nonetheless suited up for 22 postseason games for the team. Weber was signed to a minimum contract last summer as well after playing three seasons with Vancouver, making him a valuable member for the Predators just in way of his relative inexpensiveness.
Though he likely won’t play a big role for Nashville again next year, getting an NHL-capable defender for the league minimum is always a good deal. Even if the team brings in a different player to pair with Irwin on a regular basis, he is a solid depth option for the club. The team is heading into the expansion draft chock-full of defensemen, and his signing has little to do with filling the requirements for the process.
Good move