"No-Brainer" for Bitetto, Irwin, Weber to Sign New Contracts with Preds

A common theme appeared when speaking with Predators defensemen Yannick Weber, Matt Irwin and Anthony Bitetto on the topic of signing their new contracts to remain in Nashville.
Simply, putting pen to paper was one of the easier decisions they've all made in quite some time.
All three inked deals on Tuesday morning - announced within 15 minutes of one another - to stay in the fold with the Preds through at least the 2018-19 campaign (Bitetto's deal is for one year, Weber and Irwin signed for two more seasons).

"I believe we have something special in this dressing room," Weber said. "Being able to extend my contract makes me happy."
"This is a championship team," Bitetto said. "It's a place I want to be, and it was a no-brainer for me to sign here. I'm excited for the opportunity to present itself."
"It was a no-brainer," Irwin added. "Just looking at the opportunity they gave me last year to come up and re-establish myself at this level, I'll be forever thankful for that. When this opportunity came, it was a pretty easy decision."
The contracts continue to give the Preds enviable depth on their blue line, now with those three, plus the likes of Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis all locked up through at least the spring of 2019.

"It's always good to know that certain guys are going to be back, and it's something to build on," Weber said. "Our D-corps has been a big part of our success and being able to stay together definitely helps."
Weber, Bitetto and Irwin may not make the headlines their defensive counterparts do, but their roles on the club are not to be looked down upon, playing pivotal parts to ensure Nashville will continue to possess one of, if not the top blueline corps in the League.
Weber and Irwin have been added via free agency in recent years, but Bitetto is homegrown, originally drafted by the Preds in 2010. Since then, he's made his way up through the Milwaukee Admirals before becoming a full-time NHLer, playing with the likes of Colton Sissons, Austin Watson and Filip Forsberg along the way, just to name a few.
It's reasons like those that Nashville feels like home, the locker room like family.
"I think that transition together [from Milwaukee], we've been together for six or seven years now; it's like we're brothers," Bitetto said. "It's a really cool experience, and it was a no-brainer to re-sign here."

Tuesday's moves only reiterate the fact Predators General Manager David Poile wants nothing more than to keep his current group together, believing they give the franchise the best shot at winning the ultimate prize.
And those who signed the deals think so, too.
"We're pretty aware at how good we are as a group and how confident we are in here," Irwin said. "When we play the right way, we're a very hard group to beat. To be a part of that and go through what we went through last year and to experience that whole thing is something special. I'm really excited to be a part of this for a couple more years."
"I think there's something special in this room, a certain culture here that thrives to win," Weber said. "I want to be a part of it, so it was an easy choice to stick around."