New Contract in Hand, Forsberg Sets Sights on Winning Cup with Predators

He's back.
After months of negotiations, and just two days before the start of NHL Free Agency, Filip Forsberg put pen to paper on a $68 million deal that will keep Nashville's all-time leading goal-scorer in Gold and Navy through the 2029-30 season.

"It feels great," Forsberg said. "Me and [my fiancée] Erin and the rest of my family and her family - we're all very excited to continue this journey together with the team. We've been working really hard for some time now to get to this point and we're very happy with how everything turned out and I'm looking forward to getting to work right away."
The months leading up to that deal - when Forsberg's future days in Nashville seemed uncertain at best and numbered at worst - saw the Leksand, Sweden native ice the best season of his professional career, as the forward tallied 84 points (42g-42a) and broke numerous team and personal records in the process.

As far as the fans were concerned, a Predators team without Forsberg simply wasn't an option - a sentiment with which General Manager David Poile wholeheartedly agreed.
"We never had another plan," Poile said. "Our plan A, B, C and D from the beginning was to sign Fil. So, I think by checking that off the list and adding an excellent defenseman in Ryan McDonagh before the draft, I feel we're a better team than how we ended the season.

"Filip, as we all know, is clearly one of our best players and probably one of the best offensive players in the history of our franchise, and I am totally expecting that he will be an integral part of our core for the next eight years. A lot of records are going to fall. In terms of any other offensive records the Predators have, Filip is going to hopefully have all of them. Some of that will lead into winning hockey and hopefully we'll be working together to do something special here like winning the Stanley Cup."

With a marriage to his fiancée Erin the next monumental to-do on Forsberg's list, packing up and leaving the Music City was something he wanted to avoid as well.
"It means as much off the ice as much as it does on the ice, honestly," Forsberg said. "[Erin and I] met here. I have my home in Sweden and she has her home in Georgia, but Nashville is our home. Everything we've talked about doing is based here and it's cool that we'll be able to take the next steps in our relationship here… Whatever steps are coming along the way will happen in our city, so we're both very excited about that."

There's also a legacy to consider, and though Forsberg envisions himself still skating after his contract expires in 2030 - he'll be 36 - the vision of a No. 9 banner rising to the Bridgestone Arena rafters just got a bit clearer.
"I think legacy is what you do on the ice and what you do off the ice - and Fil has certainly already done a lot in both of those areas," Poile said. "With these next eight years, Fil could certainly become what I call a 'legacy player' with our franchise, similar to what Pekka Rinne did on and off the ice and now what Roman Josi is doing both on and off the ice."
Legacy aside, the ultimate goal still remains, and Forsberg is now poised to take up a key leadership role as his club continues their hunt for the Stanley Cup.

With six other Preds now locked in through at least 2025-26 - Roman Josi, Matt Duchene, Mattias Ekholm, Colton Sissons, Jeremy Lauzon and Ryan McDonagh - a coaching staff on board for another two and a slew of young talent in the wings, Forsberg believes this iteration of the Preds has what it takes to finally bring Lord Stanley to Nashville.
"The only thing we're missing is the Stanley Cup and that's the main driver for all of us," Forsberg said. "That's the motivation over the summer, that's when you try to get better. The individual stuff is fun and all, but at the end of the day, I want us to sit back on the couch and look at a Stanley Cup ring. That's my ultimate motivation."