Na$hville: Shea Weber's 14-Year, $110 Million Offer Sheet Matched By Predators

Shea Weber Contract Does Not Include No Trade Clause

Shea Weber's new deal with the Nashville Predators is finished and it does not include a no-trade clause or no-movement clause, according to his agent Jarrett Bousquet. Joshua Cooper of The Tennessean tweeted the news that Weber will be at the full disposal of the Preds, who can move him at any point under the terms of the recently finalized massive contract.

Nashville matched a 14-year, $110 million offer sheet from the Flyers at the end of July. Weber became the big free agent target of the Flyers this summer, but the Predators insisted on matching the lengthy deal.The new contract likely keeps the Predators captain in Music City for the rest of his career -- unless of course they decide to trade or waive him, a power granted by the final agreement. The Preds had stated repeatedly that they wanted to keep Weber, an All-Star and one of the league's elite defenseman, in a Nashville uniform for life.

For more on the Shea Weber deal and the Nashville Predators, visit SB Nation's Predators blog On The Forecheck.

Shea Weber Stays With Nashville Predators As Philadelphia Flyers Head Back To Drawing Board

Shea Weber is sticking in Nashville after the Predators matched his 14-year offer sheet. The Flyers took a big swing and missed, and now that leaves them back where they started.

Shea Weber Offer Sheet Matched By Predators, Fans React

The Nashville Predators matched the Philadelphia Flyers' 14-year, $110 million offer sheet for Shea Weber on Tuesday, keeping the Preds captain in Nashville likely for the rest of his career. Flyers fans are bummed, naturally, as the defenseman had expressed his desire to play in Philadelphia.

Travis Hughes of Broad Street Hockey points out that while Weber will technically be eligible to be traded after the 2012-13 season, Flyers fans should move on as the organization looks to fill its defensive void elsewhere.

Weber will remain a Predator for at least one season under CBA rules, and while many Flyers fans are likely hoping he demands a trade after that one season, there's no guarantee that happens. There's really no indication that it's even a possibility. Weber made clear his desire to play in Philadelphia, but at this stage of the game, there's no reason to realistically hope for a trade to bring him here.

Paul Holmgren tried. Give him a ton of credit for that. Nashville said all along that money will not be an obstacle. Give them a ton of credit for sticking to their word on that. Now, it's time to move on.

Predators fans, meanwhile, are euphoric. Marc Torrence of On The Forecheck wasn't shy with the hyperbole when describing Weber's importance to the still-fledgling franchise.

In the end, the Predators found a way to put together the cash to match the front-loaded deal that Philadelphia offered Nashville's captain.

Is this the most important deal in franchise history? On the surface it would seem so. The Predators have finally taken out the checkbook and signed its best player to a long-term deal that will keep him in Nashville for seemingly the rest of his carrer.

For more on the Shea Weber deal and the Nashville Predators, visit SB Nation's Predators blog On The Forecheck. For more on the Flyers visit SB Nation's Flyers blog Broad Street Hockey.

Shea Weber Offer Sheet Matched By Nashville Predators

The Nashville Predators called it the most important decision they've ever made, and that's not far off: The still-fledgling NHL franchise on Tuesday matched the 14-year, $110 million offer sheet tendered to star defenseman and captain Shea Weber by the Philadelphia Flyers last week.

The move assures that Weber will stay in Nashville at least through the 2012-13 season, as CBA rules state the team cannot deal him for one full calendar year, but as the Predators have stated, it likely means that Weber will be a Predator for life.

Matching the hefty offer sheet likely wasn't easy for one of the league's smaller-market franchises thanks to the structure of the deal: $13 million due at signing, $1 million over the course of the 12-13 season and $13 million again on July 1, 2013. It was necessary for Nashville to match a) to stay competitive and b) to save face with fans and sponsors.

The Flyers released a statement wishing Weber the best of luck in Nashville. Philly will now look to explore other options in improving its defense, now left without captain Chris Pronger due to severe, perhaps career-threatening injury and top-pairing cog Matt Carle, who left for the Tampa Bay Lightning via free agency.

For more on the Shea Weber deal and the Nashville Predators, visit SB Nation's Predators blog On The Forecheck. For more on the Flyers visit SB Nation's Flyers blog Broad Street Hockey.

How The Shea Weber Offer Sheet Reflects The NHL's CBA Problem

Beyond the shock and excitement of the Philadelphia Flyers' offer sheet to Shea Weber is a sad tale of what ails the NHL and what's wrong with its CBA.

Shea Weber Offer Sheet: Financial Terms Unfriendly To Nashville Predators

The full financial details have come out regarding the massive 14-year offer sheet extended to restricted free agent Shea Weber by the Philadelphia Flyers.

Travis Hughes at Broad Street Hockey has a look at the detailed numbers provided by SportsNet. The proposed deal includes massive signing bonuses through the first seven years of the contract and would pay him at least $1 million a year all the way up through the 2025-26 season.

The deal will likely be impossible for the Nashville Predators to match. Although the average value of the proposed deal would result in a salary cap hit of just $7.8 million for each year of the contract, the Predators would be hard-pressed to be able to come up with the money needed to pay Weber a $13 million signing bonus this summer, a $1 million salary for the 2012-13 season and another $13 million signing bonus next summer.

The Predators have seven days to decide whether to match the offer or see Weber skating for the Flyers for the next decade-plus. $27 million in 11 months will be a lot to ask for the mid-market Preds.

For more on the Shea Weber deal and the Nashville Predators, visit SB Nation's Predators blog On The Forecheck. For more on the Flyers visit SB Nation's Flyers blog Broad Street Hockey.

Will Nashville Match Shea Weber Offer Sheet From Flyers?

On late Wednesday evening, the Philadelphia Flyers offered defenseman Shea Weber a massive 14-year contract, which leaves the Nashville Predators with seven days to match the offer sheet. The question going forward, of course, is will the Preds match the offer sheet given to Weber by the Flyers?

If the Predators match the offer sheet, they'll be saddled with a massive contract, but if the team decides not to match, they'll wind up with four first-round picks that Sam Page over at On The Forecheck classifies as "disappointing." Page also calls this a "defining moment" for the Predators franchise and thinks the Flyers did the team a huge favor by working up an offer sheet:

If however the Predators have the money and willingness to match, it seems like Philly did a huge favor to Nashville. As Dirk outlined, a one-year offersheet would force the Predators to let Weber walk to unrestricted free agency. If the Predators match this offer, they are guaranteed to have their captain locked up in Nashville for the rest of his career.

Page notes, however, that the only way he could see the Predators not matching the deal is if the structure of the contract has tons of upfront money in the form of signing bonuses.

The only way I see Nashville not matching is if there's no limit to upfront money and Philly front-loaded this thing with crazy signing bonuses, making it financially impossible for Preds ownership. Let's hope that's not the case. If it's only somewhat front-loaded, then the contract is basically what Suter got, which the Preds were supposedly willing to match.

For more on the Shea Weber deal and the Nashville Predators, visit SB Nation's Predators blog On The Forecheck. For more on the Flyers visit SB Nation's Flyers blog Broad Street Hockey.

Shea Weber Offer Sheet Could Be Blessing For Nashville Predators

Can the Nashville Predators compete with the big boys in the NHL? Well, here's their chance to prove it.

Shea Weber Signs 14-Year, $100-Plus Million Offer Sheet From Philadelphia Flyers

Deal would take Weber to age 40, Nashville could get four first round picks as compensation.