Predators Sign Four RFAs

The Nashville Predators were in the middle of a nasty little bit of business with a controversy about the timing of their qualification of restricted free agents, trying to keep the right of first refusal alive in the process.  Fortunately, they avoided a lot of the ugliness by signing the four players in question to new deal; Cal O'Reilly, Nick Spaling and Matt Halischuk signed on Thursday, while Sergei Kostitsyn signed his new deal on Friday.  The Predators should not be facing much discipline, nor will they lose these players to unrestricted free agency.

The biggest prize of the bunch is the Belarussian forward Sergei Kostitsyn, who led all Predators forwards in the 2011 regular season with 23 goals and 27 assists in 77 games for the club.  Kostitsyn signed a 1-year deal, worth $2.5 million, for his efforts in the previous season, hoping to at least replicate that effort in 2012.  Kostitsyn ranked 86th among all forwards in the year, which puts him in as a mid-round type forward for the hockey pools.

O'Reilly signed a 1-year deal, worth $1.05 million, after a season where he picked up 18 points in 38 games for the club.  There is a good chance that he will be making the transition into a full-time Predators player, but he'll still have to earn his way onto the team table through training camp with low games played numbers.

Depth forward Spaling played in 74 games with the Predators in 2011, earning him a full-time spot on the team table, after signing a 2-year deal, worth $2.1 million.  Spaling only had 14 points in those 74 games, but he has proved his worth through the season and should be a lock to make the club next year.

Slow-developing prospect Matt Halischuk signed a 2-year deal, worth $1.425 million on Thursday, bringing him back into the fold for a little while longer.  Halischuk appeared in 27 games for the Predators, scoring 4 goals and 8 assists.  His career potential is likely dropping him down into the bottom-six territory, possibly as a checking centre.

With these signings, I will only be adding Kostitsyn and Spaling to the cap totals, as they look to be locks for the 2012 season.  This brings the Nashville projected cap number up to $37.2 million for only 17 players (11 forwards, four defensemen and two goalies), leaving them $11.1 million to spend on two forwards and three defensemen, including Shea Weber.  I can't see the salary cap floor being a real issue for the Predators this year.