As expected, the Nashville Predators have signed forward Jonas Andersson to a one-year, $675,000 contract per the Swedish website SportBladet (another hat tip to @SLakePreds). It’s also a one-way contract, meaning he’d get paid the same amount if he were to be sent down to Milwaukee at any point (increasing the likelihood that he’ll play in Nashville).
UPDATE: The Preds’ press release is included below, with the updated salary of $675,000.
Andersson was originally drafted by the Preds in 1999 (2nd round, 33rd overall) and played in Milwaukee for 174 games, but has spent the last several years over in Europe. Last season, he tallied 7 goals and 13 assists in 30 games for Dynamo Minsk of the KHL, a decent scoring rate on a points-per-game basis. He did play 5 games for the Predators back in the 2001-2 season.
Follow after the jump for Andersson’s YouTube highlight video, and a translation of the report…
Will Andersson make an impact at the NHL level this fall? It’s very hard to say. Perhaps the theory is to take guys like Andersson, Sergei Kostitsyn, and others to start a dogfight for playing time on the left wing, and hope that someone steps up. While this may work out, I’m sure it’s a disappointment to Predators fans watching lots of proven NHL performers moving around the free agent market today.
Here’s the Predators’ press release:
Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed forward Jonas Andersson (YOH-nus AN-duhr-suhn) to a one-year contract worth $675,000.
Andersson, 29 (2/24/81), was one of Sweden’s top players at last month’s World Championships in Germany, tying for second among all skaters in goals (6) and tying for the team lead in points (6g-0a) while earning a bronze medal. The 6-3, 212-pound right wing posted 20 points (7g-13a) in 30 games during his first season in the Kontinental Hockey League with Dynamo Minsk in 2009-10 after spending the previous four campaigns in the Finnish Elite League (2005-09). In 2008-09 with Karpat Oulu, he tied for second in the Finnish League in goals (24) and shorthanded markers (3), while ranking fourth in the league in points (57), en route to being named a 2009 First-Team SM-Liiga All-Star. He led Karpat to the Finnish League final in 2008-09, and helped the club win its fifth league title in 2007-08.
Selected 33rd overall (second round) in Nashville’s second Entry Draft in 1999 – the same draft that saw Martin Erat welcomed to the organization – the Stockholm, Sweden native last played in North America during the 2002-03 campaign when he posted 11 points (7g-4a) in 49 games with Milwaukee (AHL) before missing the second-half of the season, and all of the 2003-04 campaign due to injury. He has seen action in five National Hockey League games – all with Nashville during the 2001-02 season – making his debut with the club on March 19, 2002 at St. Louis.
And here’s a Google translation of the SportBladet article:
Now confirm successful player Jonas Andersson NHL contract with the Nashville Predators.
The contract is for one year, one-way and worth about 5.5 million.
– Good to be back in the NHL, “said striker from the World Cup.
Jonas Andersson, 29, came from nowhere to the World Cup. A doldis not even three crowns lagledning knew who it was.
Success in World Cup
Well in the Three Crowns and the World Cup, it became a success and Andersson, was one of the best players in the squad along with Niklas Persson. Andersson made all six goals in World Cup, most of all on the team.
– Nashville had an eye on me even before the World Cup, but given my truly beautiful championships in that they chose to give me a envägskontrakt, says Jonas Andersson.
Negotiations with Nashville is a longstanding one and was finished July 1.
Interestingly, the contract is that this is Andersson’s second spell in Nashville. He was there from 2001 to 2004, but flopped, and there was never any game in the NHL, but only in the AHL.
– I’m a different player today. When I was a second round of revaluations draft and Nashville had a high opinion of me. Then did not work my game, but I hope it does today. Interesting is also the same club and lagledning then as now. Barry Trotzig is left in the booth, among other things, says Jonas Andersson.
“Applies to provide”
The contract is for one year and worth 700 000 dollars, 5.5 million crowns. It is also one way, which means that Andersson has the same compensation as the NHL AHL.
– They do not envägskontrakt to anyone and they do not want players with one-way is in the AHL. But it is also true for me to perform to get playing in the NHL, “he said.