After some uncertainty at the position, it seems that the Nashville Predators have locked up their goaltender for at least the next couple of seasons.
Pekka Rinne Signs Two-Year, $6.8 Million Contract With Nashville
Pekka Rinne, 27, has signed a two-year, $6.8 million contract with the club, according to TSN. The deal will pay Rinne $2.8 million next season and $4 million the following year. Rinne would've been an unrestricted free agent this coming July.
He has been splitting time with goaltender Dan Ellis this season, and with this deal, it appears Ellis could be on his way out in Nashville. He's also a free agent this upcoming off season, so it'll be interesting if they try to move him before then.
Here’s what Dirk Hoag, SB Nation’s Predators writer at On the Forecheck, had to say about the deal:
It's interesting to see such a short term; apparently this limits the risk on each side, and sets up Rinne for free agency in the summer of 2012. Might that give both sides an out if Chet Pickard develops successfully over the next two seasons, perhaps?
He’s referring to Pickard, the first round draft choice by Nashville in 2008 who is relatively highly touted. The Predators believe he can be a future starter and he has a very high upside.
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