Nashville Predators’ general manager David Poile calls Shea Weber’s signing a ‘Marriage’
David Poile, general manager of Nashville Predators, is very excited and thrilled to sign Shea Weber in a deal which is worth $110 million and for 14 years. The main reason for his excitement and thrill is length and duration of the contract, which he compared
with duration of a marriage.
63-year-old manager of the Predators thinks that 14 year’s time is very much a career of a hockey player. He also wished that Weber gets married soon and that is also a lifetime for him as he said,
"He [Weber] just got engaged, he's going to get married and hopefully that'll be a lifetime for him. We just signed him for 14 years and that's pretty well a lifetime and a career for a hockey player. It's a marriage."
Philadelphia Flyers were very desperately after Weber and had even presented a very interesting and huge offer sheet for him. The offer sheet looked very difficult to be matched as it was, as long as 14 years and $110 million. Flyers’ offer sheet looked
like the following:
First 4 years of contract: $1 million salary with a $13 million signing bonus per season.
Years 5-6 of contract: $4 million salary with an $8 million signing bonus per season.
Years 7-10: $6 million salary. Year 11: $3 million salary. Years 12-14: $1 million salary.
Philadelphia almost looked to have got their man but Nashville Predators had other thoughts. They decided to match the huge offer and retained their captain. One of the reasons being departure of Ryan Suter, who they lost to Minnesota Wild in a 13-year,
$98 million deal. And they definitely did not want to lose their other star defenseman.
According to Poile, it was a team and collective decision to retain Weber as all of them came with the same answer to do so. Toronto, Ontario native further said,
“It wasn't just a hockey decision. We involved the business side and the ownership and collectively we went over the reasons why we should do it and if there were any reasons we shouldn't do it. And I think we all came together with the same answer, and
that was yes”.
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