The Nashville Predators signed Filip Forsberg to an eight-year contract extension worth $8.5 million per year last week.

The winger is 27 years old and has played all of his 566 career NHL games with the Predators. This past season, Forsberg set career highs in both goals and points, with 42 goals and 84 points in 69 games.

Below, we take a look at how the contract breaks down for the Predators.

Grading Filip Forsberg's $68 million Predators contract extension

The Player

Filip Forsberg is without a doubt the top forward on the team. His production, which put him on a pace of 50 goals and 100 points per 82 this season, was key for Nashville being a playoff team. Given he's also just 27 years old (turning 28 years old in August), there's no fear of a decline anytime soon. He should get through most of his contract still playing at a high level and producing consistently. While he may not be able to replicate those numbers consistently, he's a legitimate top-line winger. He should score 30 goals and 60 points from year to year and, clearly, he has higher upside too.

Forsberg staying healthy will be key, though, given hasn't played 70 games in a season since 2016-17. Of course, two COVID-shortened seasons doesn't help that, but he has still missed quite a bit of time.

The Term

Obviously, it's not at all shocking to see Filip Forsberg get an eight-year deal. He's the level of player who commands a maximum-term contract, which was clear going into the offseason.

Nashville had the ability to offer eight years too, which was surely a key bargaining chip for them. It's obviously not the ideal term, as Forsberg's production will have likely declined by the seventh or eighth year. That said, there would've been teams lining up to offer him seven years had he hit free agency.

The Cap Hit

With the cap hit coming in at $8.5 million, it's arguably cheaper than it could've been. That's not to say $8.5 million is a steal by any means, but Filip Forsberg potentially could've ended up at a higher number on the open market.

First, he was coming off a massive season, where he nearly cracked the top 10 in goals despite missing 13 games. Then, given his age, teams wouldn't have been afraid to give him a big deal. Also considering he would've been one of the top free agent wingers in the market, behind perhaps only Johnny Gaudreau, and there would've been a bidding war. With that said, I wouldn't have been at all surprised to see his deal come in over $9 million.

Nashville hasn't necessarily had the best luck with signing forwards to deals around $8 million per year in the past. Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen both rebounded this year but have still been underwhelming over the last few seasons. Hopefully, this deal goes a little better for the Predators.

The No-Move Clause

Perhaps the biggest issue of the contract is the trade protection attached to it. The contract carries a full no-movement clause for the first six years, before becoming a 15-team no-trade list in the final two years.

Looking at the Predators' roster, it's hard to tell where they're going and how long they can stay competitive. Nashville has an aging core, with many of their top players now over 30 years old. Three of their top four forwards in Matt Duchene, Mikael Granlund and Ryan Johansen are all 30 years old (or will be by the end of the month). Their top three defenders in Roman Josi, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan McDonagh are all at least 32 years old. Just between those six players, Nashville has invested over $46 million per year, meaning as they decline, the Predators are in trouble.

It remains to be seen how many good years the Predators have left. It's possible they could see a decline in a few years, with Filip Forsberg still locked in at a high cap hit for the foreseeable future. As a result, if the Predators decided to kickstart a rebuild in few years, Forsberg's trade protection could hurt them. With a full no-movement clause, he could be very picky about a potential destination, which could completely reduce a trade return. Either that, or he could just outright decline to be traded through the first six years of the deal.

It's a hypothetical situation, sure, but arguably not all that farfetched. With Forsberg's no-movement clause, the Predators could be causing issues for themselves down the road.

***

Even with the trade protection, Filip Forsberg's contract should still be seen as a win for Nashville. For a while, it seemed like he may head to free agency, leaving the team without their top forward. So to re-sign him at a pretty manageable cap hit after the massive season he had leaves the team in a much better spot.

The Predators did pretty well here, and Forsberg will be key for Nashville to remain competitive in the coming years.

Grade: B+