Joining Predators Blue Line 'A Pretty Easy Decision' for Veteran Defenseman Brady Skjei

Get excited, Smashville. The newest member of the Nashville Predators defensive corps just arrived.

After signing with the Predators as a free agent on July 1, veteran NHL defenseman Brady Skjei arrived in the Music City on Wednesday alongside fellow free agent acquisition and new teammate Scott Wedgewood to shake hands and familiarize himself with his new locale.

While Predators fans should be buzzing over Skjei and what he has to offer - especially following a 2023-24 season that saw him establish a career high in points (47 in 80 GP) with the Carolina Hurricanes - the blueliner is feeling much of the same excitement on his side of the table ahead of his first season in Gold and Navy.

“I’ve played here as a guest on the visiting team and I always knew Nashville was at the top of the list,” Skjei said at a press conference on Wednesday. “I've heard other guys say it checks all the boxes, and that's completely true. I knew it was a team that I wanted to play for and a team that in the future has a chance to win, and obviously with the signings that they made on July 1, it just makes it even more of a place that you want to be. So, it was a pretty easy decision for me when I heard them call me that I wanted to be here in Nashville.”

Skjei’s signing came on a landslide opening day of free agency that saw Predators General Manager Barry Trotz ink deals with big name players like Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault and extend his franchise’s star goaltender by eight more years.

Watching those signings and seeing Nashville’s bright trajectory from last year’s campaign all made Skjei’s decision an easy one once the defenseman officially became an unrestricted free agent two and half weeks ago.

“That was a huge thing for me,” Skjei said. “I think you can even look before the signings on July 1, at the youth in this organization and the skill they have up here, and even in the AHL and in the farm system - the team is going to be good for a while and make playoff runs in the future. And adding the guys that we did on July 1 can just hopefully speed that up pretty quickly. I think it's going to be a very exciting few years here in Nashville.”

A seasoned, well-rounded defenseman of 609 career NHL games and 76 career Stanley Cup Playoffs contests, Skjei fills a hole left by the trade of Ryan McDonagh back to Tampa Bay and provides Head Coach Andrew Brunette another trusted asset on Nashville’s penalty kill.

He’s no slouch on the man-advantage, either.

Last season, Skjei established a career high and finished second among Hurricanes blueliners in power-play points with 12 (1g-11a); Skjei was additionally one of just eight NHL defensemen to record both a power-play goal and a shorthanded goal during the 2023-24 campaign.

“Special teams are so important,” Skjei said. “You see that in the playoffs. These teams that make runs, they're all clicking. The last couple of years, I’ve gotten more of an opportunity on the power play, which is obviously a lot of fun. Being able to jump out there and try to produce for your team is huge. I don't see myself being in front of Roman Josi, so I'm gonna try to stay behind that, but definitely the penalty kill is somewhere I've been my whole career, and I've taken pride in that. And the power play is just kind of a bonus. So, I think I can add a little bit of both.”

A fixture of five seasons each for the New York Rangers and the Hurricanes, Skjei arrives in Nashville with a coveted seven-year contract in hand and an unparalleled opportunity to make a name for himself with the Predators.

Needless to say, he’s very eager to get started.

“It was obviously important to get a long-term deal done,” Skjei said. “We want to feel like we are a part of the city and a part of the team and part of the fan base for years to come. And I am very grateful that I can be here for that long and try being one of those pillars and a guy that the organization can lean on for many years to come. So, we're super excited and we're very honored and grateful that the organization sees that in myself as a player and as a person.”