[Signing] Preds re-sign Weber & Irwin to 2 year contracts, Bitetto for 1 year

[Karl]

https://www.nhl.com/news/predators-s...er/c-294800508

Weber, 29, signed a two-year, $1.35 million contract (an average annual value of $675,000). He has three points (one goal, two assists) and 22 blocked shots in 25 games this season, his second with Nashville. Selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the third round (No. 73) of the 2007 NHL Draft, Weber has 81 points (24 goals, 57 assists) in 372 games with the Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks and Predators.

"I think there's something special in this room, a certain culture here that thrives to win," Weber said. "I want to be a part of it, so it was an easy choice to stick around."

Irwin, 30, signed a two-year, $1.35 million contract (an average annual value of $675,000). He has seven points (two goals, five assists) and 34 blocked shots in 31 games this season, his second with Nashville, and has 71 points (21 goals, 50 assists) in 260 games with the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks and Predators.

"It was a no-brainer," Irwin said. "Just looking at the opportunity they gave me last year to come up and re-establish myself at this level, I'll be forever thankful for that. When this opportunity came, it was a pretty easy decision."

Bitetto, 27, signed a one-year, $650,000 contract. He has three points (one goal, two assists) and 23 blocked shots in 22 games this season. Selected by Nashville in the sixth round (No. 168) of the 2010 NHL Draft, he has 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) in 86 NHL games.

"This is a championship team," Bitetto said. "It's a place I want to be, and it was a no-brainer for me to sign here. I'm excited for the opportunity to present itself."

Curious decision here. None of these three guys are very good at all IMO. Yannick Weber is really not an NHL calibre defenseman.

[thymebalm]

They may not be great players, but at those bargain basement prices, you can have functional depth without spending 9M on your fourth line like some teams I know...

[Karl]

Originally Posted by thymebalm

They may not be great players, but at those bargain basement prices, you can have functional depth without spending 9M on your fourth line like some teams I know...

Yes, but quite frankly an argument can be made that all 3 of those guys should not be in the NHL anymore at any price (never mind 3 forwards and 1 defenseman on the Flames).

Bitteto and Irwin are borderline NHLers at best and Yannick Weber is not NHL calibre at all.

[Machiavelli]

All 3 have been quite servicable this season. Good for depth

Assuming Emelin will be left to test free agency

[Madrox]

Originally Posted by Karl

Yes, but quite frankly an argument can be made that all 3 of those guys should not be in the NHL anymore at any price (never mind 3 forwards and 1 defenseman on the Flames).

Bitteto and Irwin are borderline NHLers at best and Yannick Weber is not NHL calibre at all.

All 3 contracts can be buried in the minors without a cap hit, and there's no mention of them being one-way contracts either, so it could just be cheap depth. Outside of spending a contract, no reason not to do these deals.