Josi hopes to sign extension with Predators

Nashville Predators captain Roman Josi is making it clear he hopes to sign a contract extension and remain in the Music City.

"I never made it a secret that I'd like to stay in Nashville," Josi told Greg Hardwig of the Naples Daily News on Friday. "I think we're talking a little bit over the summer, and I'll let my agent deal with that and just focus on getting ready for the season."

Josi is entering the final season of a seven-year, $28-million contract signed in 2013-14, making the swift blue-liner eligible to ink an extension at any time.

After the Dallas Stars eliminated the Predators in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this past spring, Nashville general manager David Poile said an extension for Josi is the Preds' No. 1 priority.

Roughly $20 million is coming off the club's books next summer, according to Cap Friendly. That leaves the team with plenty of room for Josi's new deal. The defenseman has been a major bargain while being paid $4 million per season since 2013-14.

The Preds drafted Josi 38th overall in 2008, and he's since developed into one of the league's top defenseman. In 2018-19, he recorded the fourth 50-plus-point season of his career while logging over 25 minutes per contest.