Ellis Commits to Preds, Believes Team Will Continue to Compete for Cup

The thought never even crossed his mind.
Ryan Ellis knew there was going to be a negotiation process for his new contract, a procedure that could have gotten murky with both sides presenting their respective cases for term and dollars.
But, even as Predators General Manager David Poile and Ellis's agency went back and forth over the past few months, the red-bearded blueliner always knew he wasn't going anywhere.

Ellis had come too far with this team - the club that selected him 11th overall in 2009 - to consider parting ways and test the open waters. So, when the dust settled on Tuesday morning and Ellis had agreed to an eight-year, $50 million extension to keep him in Gold through the 2026-27 season, the defenseman knew one thing for certain: his Stanley Cup window was far from closing.
"I'm getting paid more than enough to play hockey," Ellis said Thursday afternoon in Nashville, his GM seated alongside. "It was just about coming across a fair deal that would work for both sides. We have other guys that need to be re-upped and need to be signed in the future, and I had to do my part to keep this thing going in the right direction."
Read that again.
Ellis wanted to be compensated fairly for his services, and who wouldn't be? But, he also realized that by taking less than what he could have potentially made on the open market, he gives not only himself, but also his teammates and his city, multiple chances to compete for the only trophy every hockey player truly wants to win.

"The one thing that really excited me is this team is going to compete for a long time, and I wanted to be a part of that," Ellis said. "After having my hand in building part of it, I wanted to continue and stay here long term. I just got married, and [my wife] was probably twisting my arm more than [I was] to get signed here. We absolutely love it, and there was no other place that we wanted to be."
"Ryan wanting to stay in Nashville long term, I think really does give us a chance to compete for the Stanley Cup, and in my opinion, that was the overriding reason why we got this deal done," Poile said. "In our contract negotiation conversations, it became very clear to me that despite the differences that you have, Ryan and [his wife] wanted to be here for hopefully his entire career, and that's something that I think is very exciting."
Just as appealing is the potential Ellis possesses as the 27-year-old enters the prime of his career. Despite playing only 44 games last season due to injury, the d-man set career highs in assists (23) and plus-minus (+26 rating), the latter of which was the highest by a defenseman and second-highest overall in Predators history.
And in the clutch? Ellis posted seven goals and 18 assists when the Predators were trailing or the game was tied.

Suffice to say, the associate captain, whose 173 points - the sixth-most by a defenseman in Predators franchise history - is worth keeping around, not only for his play on the ice, but for his leadership qualities off of it.
All one has to do is recall back to mid-May when Ellis and his teammates requested Poile not make any major changes to the Preds' roster during the offseason. The general manager obliged, and now Ellis and his mates want nothing more than another chance to prove to the city - and to each other - they have what it takes to host a parade on Broadway.
"We see a lot of potential," Ellis said. "You can see it with how many banners we've put up in the last two years in our rink, and it's an exciting time to be part of this team. The love and passion that each guy has for one another, as well as the game, it excites us to come to the rink every day. We were all kind of collectively saying we hope nothing changes and we can continue to do this because we think we're that close."

There's a long way to go to test that theory once more, but the Predators figure they have as good of a chance as any to make another lengthy run in the springtime. And if Ellis has anything to do with it, his teammates may come close to giving his facial follicles a run of their own.
Departing was never in the picture. Instead, Ellis's conscience is consumed by different thoughts with regularity, ones that involve more ear-splitting nights in Smashville, eventually culminating with a celebration the likes of which have never been seen in these parts.
Because of that, Ellis is here for the long haul. Pleases the mind, doesn't it?
"If we can keep everyone here and keep the core together, I think we can compete for a Stanley Cup for the next 10 years, at least," Ellis said. "That's bold to say, but I think we believe a lot in the people that we have in our room… and I just really wanted to be a part of it."