The 35-year-old defenseman, who played his first six NHL seasons with the Predators, had 24 points (three goals, 21 assists) in 80 games with the Dallas Stars last season.
"The team being very competitive, in my opinion, one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup next year, that's a huge draw," Hamhuis told 102.5 The Game in Nashville, according to the Predators website.
"You look at the Predators defense and it's solid," Hamhuis said. "They have a really great top four (Roman Josi, P.K. Subban, Ryan Ellis, Mattias Ekholm) and some great support players behind that. I talked with (coach) Peter Laviolette and he saw me fitting in behind those top four guys to help them. I thought the role that was described for me on this team fit really well with where I'm at."
Selected by Nashville in the first round (No. 12) of the 2001 NHL Draft, Hamhuis has 343 points (59 goals, 284 assists) in 1,031 NHL games (14 seasons) with the Stars, Vancouver Canucks and Predators. He has 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in 62 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Hamhuis played 483 regular-season games with the Predators from 2003-10 and had 161 points (32 goals, 129 assists). He had nine points (one goal, eight assists) in 28 playoff games with Nashville.
"So many great memories, from the city, the hockey side, from teammates and staff and everyone there, and all positive. ... So when [general manager] David [Poile] called and expressed interest in bringing [my family and me] back, we were really excited and wanted to make that work," Hamhuis said.
Nashville made the Stanley Cup Final in 2017, losing in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins. They won the Presidents' Trophy last season, finishing with the best record in the League (53-18-11, 114 points) but lost to the Winnipeg Jets in seven games in the Western Conference Second Round.
"The fans, it's no secret anymore, especially after [the 2017] playoff run they had," Hamhuis said. "It's a well-talked about thing: about how great Predators fans are across the League. We're excited to have a chance to go back and be a part of it again."
