They may recognize they’ve been getting deeper into the playoffs in consecutive years and Weber has been crucial to that. Fan response has been immense and if it can be sustained then the 14 years may be a sound investment, particularly if the new CBA kills off the ability to do these massive contracts.

Or, they don’t match and reveal that they’re just not that financially capable of cost this massive. Haven’t seen the full numbers, but I’m going to assume the contract is massively front-loaded like usual, which is a big ask for a team that was only recently considered to run on a tight budget. This could have a big impact on how free agents see Nashville and even the fans, but perhaps the owners feel the flexibility of the picks is safer than bearing Weber’s huge cost. Banking it all on one player is a very risky move.

As for losing Weber, Nashville has some good young D-men in Ellis and Josi, but obviously asking them to replace a constant Norris nominee and his stalwart partner is a massive task. But then again, maybe getting Ellis to sign a contract is a lot easier… :D http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10zQ23C_Q9Q

On the one hand, with Suter already gone, letting Weber go as well basically signals that you’re rebuilding your defense corps and you’re not going to be a better team next season than you were last season. With Rinne under a long-term contract, it seems like an awkward time to go through even a partial rebuild.

But OTOH, 4 1st round picks. If you trust your scouting staff, just think about what you could do with that….

But in any case, it’s in Nashville’s court (or rink, I guess. Maybe o-zone?) now. Holmgren may have just helped them negotiate a long term contract with Weber. Doesn’t he have to accept if they choose to match?

Then again, perhaps that’s what Weber wanted all along.