The Nashville Predators made a significant commitment to one of their newest faces on Saturday, signing forward Mavrik Bourque to a six-year contract worth $33 million. That works out to an average annual value of $5.5 million, but the structure is worth a closer look.
Bourque, 24, came over from the Dallas Stars on July 1 alongside defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin. Nashville sent a 2027 second-round pick and Vegas’s 2028 third-rounder the other way. He was a restricted free agent, so this deal takes care of that business before it could get messy.
The contract carries no signing bonuses and zero trade protection. That’s a bit unusual for a deal this long, but it tells you the Predators are betting on Bourque’s trajectory more than his resume so far. The money escalates over time: $4.5 million in each of the first two seasons, then $5.5 million in 2028-29, $6 million for two years after that, and finally $6.5 million in the last year. The team also bought out three of his unrestricted free agent years, which is the real win here.
Bourque broke out in Dallas last season
Bourque just wrapped up the best year of his NHL career. He put up 20 goals, 21 assists and 41 points in all 82 games for the Stars. That led to 147 shots on goal and 79 hits. His 20 goals ranked fourth on the team. He added one more in the playoffs.
Across 156 career NHL games, he’s got 31 goals and 35 assists for 66 points. Not eye-popping numbers for a guy getting $5.5 million annually, but the Predators are clearly paying for what they think he can become.
He dominated the AHL before sticking in the NHL
Dallas took Bourque 30th overall in the 2020 draft, and he built a monster resume in the minors. In 147 AHL games with Texas, he piled up 129 points. He won the league’s MVP award in 2023-24 after leading the AHL with 77 points in 71 games. Then he added 15 points in 15 Calder Cup playoff games that same spring.
Before turning pro, he played in the QMJHL and put up 236 points in 172 games. So the guy has always produced at every level he’s played. The question was whether that would translate to the NHL, and last season offered real evidence it can.
Bourque skated significant minutes alongside Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston in Dallas despite being a natural center. He won 45.8% of his faceoffs and posted positive relative Corsi numbers in his first two seasons, even though he started fewer than half his shifts in the offensive zone. That suggests he can drive play even when he’s not getting favorable matchups.
He’s now part of a major roster overhaul in Nashville. New GM Chris MacFarland has added Ross Colton, Jack Drury, Alex Kerfoot, Adam Edstrom and Nils Hoglander this offseason. The Predators went 38-34-10 last year and missed the playoffs by four points. They’re clearly trying to change that.
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