Colton Sissons is staying in Smashville for the foreseeable future.

The Predators centerman signed a seven-year, $20 million contract on Tuesday which will keep him in Nashville through the 2025-26 season, a deal that negates an arbitration hearing between Sissons and the club that was scheduled for later this week.

"Colton will be an important part of our team for the next seven seasons and we are happy he has made a long-term commitment to our organization and the city the Nashville," Preds General Manager David Poile said. "He's a heart and soul player who is versatile and can fill many important roles on our team, including on the penalty kill and power play. His offensive production has increased each season, and he remains an integral part of our defensive structure down the middle of the ice. Colton is also an up-and-coming leader in our organization, which is something we value strongly."

Nashville, Tenn. (July 22, 2019) - Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/GM David Poile announced Tuesday that the team has signed forward Colton Sissons to a seven-year, $20 million contract through the 2025-26 season.

"Colton will be an important part of our team for the next seven seasons, and we are happy he has made a long-term commitment to our organization and the city the Nashville," Poile said. "He's a heart and soul player who is versatile and can fill many important roles on our team, including on the penalty kill and power play. His offensive production has increased each season, and he remains an integral part of our defensive structure down the middle of the ice. Colton is also an up-and-coming leader in our organization, which is something we value strongly."

Sissons, 25 (11/5/93), is coming off a 2018-19 campaign that saw him set career highs in goals (15) and points (30) in 75 games with the Predators. He accumulated double-digit goals and assists (15) for the first time in NHL career and added eight multi-point games, a career best. Sissons recorded a +20 plus-minus, tied for the sixth-highest by a forward in Predators history, and was second on the team in face-off percentage, winning 53.1 percent of his draws. Additionally, he appeared in all six of Nashville's Stanley Cup Playoff games and notched his second career hat trick on Nov. 7, 2018, at Colorado.

Predators Assistant General Manager Brian Poile joins the show to recap Nashville's moves at the 2019 NHL Draft, development camp and the signing of Matt Duchene in free agency. Thomas Willis and Brooks Bratten discuss the offseason to this point, update the progress of Bridgestone Arena's new scoreboard and host story time on a visit to Vancouver Island with Matt Irwin. 

Highlights Include: 

• Recapping Nashville's offseason moves
• Interview with Preds Assistant GM Brian Poile
• Update on the new scoreboard at Bridgestone Arena
• Story time on a visit to Matt Irwin's hometown
• Answering your Twitter questions

Visit NashvillePredators.com/Podcast to subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, iHeartRadio, Spotify and others.

You'll want to call a cab around 6:30 in the morning, just to be safe.

It's about a 40-minute ride from downtown Vancouver to the Tsawwassen B.C. Ferries Terminal, but in order to ensure a timely arrival for your 8 a.m. departure, it's best to allow for unexpected slowdowns on the crowded thoroughfares of British Columbia.

You'll head south on Granville Street out of the city, where residents of the Granville, Oak Ridge and Marpole neighborhoods are just starting their day. You'll pass through Richmond and over the Fraser River and then bear right onto Highway 17, a straight shot right into the Tsawwassen Terminal, just a couple thousand feet from the international boundary between Canada and the United States.

Note: Throughout the week, a group of Predators employees will blog on their adventures in Colombia as they distribute thousands of shoes with Soles4Souls. 

July 15: 

An alarm prior to dawn led to sleepy eyes but eager hearts as Nashville Predators staff members arrived at the airport for their flight to South America.

After our connection in Miami, we landed in Cartagena, Colombia, and were greeted by our in-country partner, Christina. Christina, who leads Domino Volunteers - a group with the mission of bridging communities for more sustainable and impactful inter-cultural collaboration - connected us with all of the areas in Cartagena and its surrounding Colombian communities where we will be working throughout the week.

Thomas Willis and Brooks Bratten peel back the curtain on the RFA and arbitration process. They also take an in-depth look at where Matt Duchene slots in the Preds' lineup. Plus, Voice of the Predators Pete Weber stops by to remember Greg Johnson and analyze the recent roster moves in the Central Division.

Highlights Include: 

• Soundbites from Matt Duchene's visit to Nashville
• Where does Duchene fit in the Preds' lineup?
• Rocco Grimaldi, Colton Sissons file for arbitration, what now?
• Interview with Preds broadcaster Pete Weber
• Answering your Twitter questions

Visit NashvillePredators.com/Podcast to subscribe through iTunes, Google Play, iHeartRadio, Spotify and others.

Matt Duchene's affinity for the city of Nashville wasn't necessarily a secret prior to July 1, but over the past 10 days, just about everyone is now well aware the centerman's heart led him to Tennessee.

His love for the town was one of the reasons the Preds made him their top priority as the NHL's free agency signing period opened last week, but Duchene is a pretty darn good hockey player too.

Looking to improve their offensive capabilities this offseason, the gifted forward is exactly the kind of athlete the Preds were targeting. Now that things are official, Duchene not only began the search for a permanent living arrangement in Music City, he also started to imagine his role on a club with Stanley Cup aspirations.

The line stretched from the corner of the rink all the way down past the neutral zone, a slew of young hockey players eager to meet the figure stationed at the end.

"I've waited my entire life for this moment!" one of the participants was heard exclaiming as he inched closer. Appropriately, the man dishing out signatures to some of his newest fans felt the same way.

It's probably been a while since Matt Duchene shared the same sentiment as an 8-year-old, but he had plenty of reasons to feel like a kid again on Tuesday afternoon in Nashville.

Greg Johnson was an original Predators player, among those individuals General Manager David Poile selected from the 26 established teams to stock Nashville's first NHL roster. The expansion draft was held in Buffalo on June 26, 1998, and a lot would happen before they took the ice for their first regular-season game on Oct. 10.

Goalies Mike Dunham and Tomas Vokoun were among those selected, along with defensemen Bob Boughner, Joel Bouchard and J.J. Daigneault. Some of the forwards moving to Nashville were Andrew Brunette, Scott Walker and Johnson.

From the very outset, it was clear Poile was going for character on his roster and not necessarily quick fixes. The team's first captain, Tom Fitzgerald, was a free-agent signee, who lived the expansion process earlier in the decade with Florida. Fitzgerald and Johnson were great examples of players who fit into the community and helped establish the new team in the market.