This is odd but I am starting to get a good feeling about Weber. Hope that is correct.

With Weber not electing arbitration, it makes me more optimistic. If he wanted a 1 and done with the Preds that would have been a good way to do that. Hope they back up the truck for him and get it done!

Wow. Congrats Minny. Didn't think they'd pony up like that.

**** minny and craig liarplod and hope this is not a 'illegal bump' as this was on the 3rd page.

Hope this offseason is not going on this time next year. I know its probably just bargaining but not a good start.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/81...-big-givebacks

:facepalm:

IIRC, the same thing happened before the lockout and the NHLPA came back with "let us know when you have an offer worth discussing" ...and why would they say anything else? :shake:

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/81...on-offer-sheet

Flyers sign Shea Weber to sheet

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed star defenseman Shea Weber to an offer sheet, the team confirmed early Thursday.

The deal is for 14 years and is worth about $110 million, a source confirmed to ESPN.com. Weber, 26, will receive $56 million in the first four years of the deal, a source told ESPN The Magazine NHL Insider Craig Custance.

Weber's offer sheet from the Flyers includes a full no-movement clause. Also, in the first four years of the contract -- when he'll earn $14 million per year -- $13 million per year is designated as a signing bonus, with an additional $1 million in salary, the source told Custance.

A restricted free agent, Weber has spent his entire career with the Nashville Predators, who have seven days to match Philadelphia's offer, which was first reported by TSN of Canada.

If the Predators decide not to match the offer, they would receive four future first-round draft picks from the Flyers, according to TSN.

"We have stated previously that, should a team enter into an offer sheet with Shea, our intention would be to match and retain Shea," Predators general manager David Poile said. "Due to the complexity of the offer sheet, we will take the appropriate time to review and evaluate it and all of its ramifications in order to make the best decision for the Predators in both the short and long-term."

A three-time All-Star and the Predators' captain the past two years, Weber recorded 19 goals and 49 points this past season while anchoring one of the NHL's top defensive teams.

"We didn't go actively looking for an offer sheet," said Jarrett Bousquet, Weber's agent. "But when we spoke with Philadelphia, it seemed to be a right fit there.

"I think at the point, (Weber) is really in a good situation. I think he wants to explore his options. I don't think he would sign an offer sheet unless you were hoping you were able to go to that team."

Weber's departure would be a devastating blow to a Nashville team that already lost All-Star defenseman Ryan Suter, who signed a 13-year, $98 million deal July 4 with the Minnesota Wild.

"Things changed in Nashville July 4," Bousquet said. "The next four or five days we had to look at different options."

The Predators said they had the money to keep Weber and Suter after signing goalie Pekka Rinne to a seven-year, $49 million deal last November. But Poile couldn't keep Suter in town despite team officials thinking they had a good chance to keep their top draft pick in 2003. The Wild not only snagged Suter, but also agreed with forward Zach Parise, Suter's good friend who left New Jersey for a similar deal to Suter's, a month after leading the Devils to the Stanley Cup finals.

Clearly, the Flyers are in a position of need. They have watched teams around them in the East get better and are still smarting from consecutive second-round playoff exits. And last summer, general manager Paul Holmgren pulled off stunning deals to get rid of high-priced forwards Mike Richards and Jeff Carter. The two ended up helping Los Angeles to the Stanley Cup last month.

The Flyers were exposed on defense this past season in a five-game, Round 2 playoff series loss to New Jersey. They since have lost defenseman Matt Carle, who snared a six-year, $33 million deal with Tampa Bay.

Weber would fix a lot of those problems.

Weber also would fill the void left by Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger. Pronger -- a key cog in the Flyers' run to the 2010 Stanley Cup finals -- has been battling concussion problems and missed most of last season. He finished with one goal in 13 games.

The Flyers would love to make a splash after also losing forward Jaromir Jagr, who left for Dallas, and trading one of their former cornerstones in forward James van Riemsdyk to Toronto.

The highly coveted Weber also was interested in the Rangers and visited New York recently, multiple sources confirmed to ESPNNewYork.com's Katie Strang. He also paid visits to San Jose and Detroit.

"(Philadelphia) just seemed to be a better fit than New York," Bousquet told Strang.

Bousquet said the main deterrent for Weber in terms of New York was the prospect of living in Manhattan.

"He's a small-town guy, and it's a huge city," Bousquet said. "With New York, it was nothing personal. He thought everything, from the ownership to the hockey operations to the coaching was unbelievable. (Philadelphia) just seemed to be a better fit at this time in his career."

Weber has 99 goals and 164 assists in his seven-year NHL career.

The Preds need to pony up and sign him. Its very assanine of them to call it rebuilding over one freaking player though, that pisses me off. Im not real happy with GM Poile, he should have got this done a long time ago.

I think Weber signed the sheet to force the Preds hand. Now the Preds have to get something done with Weber and can't draw it out like they did with Suter.

Plus, there a train of thought that Weber knows that the new CBA would end contracts likethis one going forward.

If the Preds fail to sign the offer sheet and Weber walks I predict the Nashville Preds become the Kansas City Monarchs in 4 years.

Exactly, if they cannot get this done, that is not a good sign at all.

Consider that if Weber does walk the franchise has lost;

- The two "faces" of the franchise in Suter & Weber
- Thier marketing tool to get younger fans excited in TooToo
- They just signed Rinee (sp?) to a long term deal and you lose your two top D men

Now you're the head of the season ticket sales department, what do you do?

I think I start sending my resume out in mass. That would suck, I thought when Pekka signed the other two would get on board.

In other news congrats to Brian McGrattan and his new wife on their marriage.

It was greatd night! I was in the wedding party along with Spezza and Emery. Wicked time!

http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/81...eet-shea-weber

Awesome!