After another good season, Brady Skjei signs a new contract with the Nashville Predators.
The deal will run for seven years with an AAV of $7 million per season.
Brady Skjei Signs with Predators
Brady Skjei is a top-four, left-handed defenceman who spent the last five seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes. While maybe not a pure offensive defenceman, he definitely leans more towards the offensive side of the game from the back end. His strength is his skating but he also has an effective wrist shot. A former, New York Rangers first-round draft pick, Skjei found his way to Carolina at the 2019-20 Trade Deadline. Since coming to Carolina, he found a place on the team’s second pairing with defensive partner Brett Pesce for most of his tenure. Together, they were a very strong pair.
But individually, Skjei has put up 68 goals and 179 assists in 609 regular season NHL games. His last two seasons were his best where he put up 38 and 47 points respectively. This included 18 goals in 2022-23. For his playoff tenure, he has put up seven goals and 18 assists in 76 games. Again, while not a pure offensive top-pairing defenceman, Skjei is a very strong top-four player with the ability to contribute on the power play and the penalty kill.
What This Means
For Skjei, he gets to relax after the uncertainty coming with free agency. With a disappointing end to the season for Carolina, Skjei can look forward to the next season now.
But for Nashville, they are getting a player as described above. A top-four defenceman who can play in many situations and provide stability to the back end. Skjei’s skating ability allows him to jump up on the rush but also get back to cover when he pinches. As seen by his points, his play continues to progress so even at 30 he should have a few more good seasons ahead at the least. It’s not too much of a question that the team is stronger having Brady Skjei signed.
Main Photo Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
