The Nashville Predators got their off-season work well underway by signing their top goal scorer, Patric Hornqvist, to a 5-year contract extension averaging $4.25 million per season.
While dogged by injury issues and an inability (so far) to produce during the playoffs, Hornqvist has been not only Nashville’s most consistent goal-scorer over the last few years, but his advanced stats have typically been among the very best on the team.
UPDATE: How good have Hornqvist’s advanced stats been? Among forwards with at least 10 minutes of 5-on-5 play per game and having played half the games each season, he’s been Nashville’s top Corsi man each & every one of the last four seasons (2013, 2012, 2011, 2010).
We should also note that this marks a genuine commitment by Hornqvist to the Predators. This kind of negotiation could easily have dragged out through the summer, but instead this seems like a win-win contract that gives David Poile a clearer long-term picture as he gets to work retooling this team for the 2013-2014 campaign.
The Preds forwarded the following:
Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed forward Patric Hornqvist to a five-year, $21.25 million contract.
“As we build towards the 2013-14 season and beyond, re-signing Patric Hornqvist was an off-season priority,” Poile said. “Since joining the Predators, he has become-and will remain-an integral member of our core group. Patric is everything we talk about as a Predator-he is relentless in going to the net and willing to pay the price to score goals, has a terrific work ethic and is a quality person who is respected on and off the ice. Patric is just entering the prime of his career. He has led our team in goal-scoring in two of the last four seasons and we are looking forward to him being a significant part of the Predators’ on-ice success in the years to come.”
Hornqvist, 26 (1/1/87), has amassed 20-plus goals in each of three full NHL seasons, becoming the first Nashville draft pick to do so. The Sollentuna, Sweden native became the fourth player in franchise history to score 30 goals in a season in 2009-10, while also tying for second in the NHL in game-winning goals (8) and finishing among the League leaders in power-play goals (10). He ranked second on the team in goals in 2010-11, then paced the team in the category again in 2011-12 with 27 tallies. Hornqvist was limited to 23 games in 2012-13 due to injury, but still led the team in power-play goals (4). In 287 career NHL contests, the 6-0, 190-pound right wing has 163 points (84g-79a), ranking 10th on the franchise’s all-time goals list and eighth in power-play goals (28).