- Predators sign RFA center Mavrik Bourque to a six-year deal worth $5.5 million per season
- Nashville landed his signing rights from Dallas three days earlier for a second and third-round pick plus Ilya Lyubushkin
- Read below for what Bourque’s breakout year in Dallas means for his new role in Smashville
Mavrik Bourque got paid.
The Predators signed the restricted free agent center to a six-year deal worth $5.5 million per season, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported Friday. The contract checks in at $33 million total and drops Nashville’s cap space to $8.25 million once it’s official.
This lands three days after Nashville sent a second and third-round pick to Dallas for Bourque’s signing rights, along with defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin. GM Chris MacFarland went the trade route instead of an offer sheet, which would have cost a first and a third. Nashville came out ahead on the price.
Bourque started to break out last season in Dallas. The 24-year-old put up 20 goals and 41 points in his sophomore year, mostly skating the wing in the Stars’ top six next to Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston. He came off the board 30th overall in 2020.
Scouts have known about the offensive upside for a while. Bourque racked up 71 points in 49 games for QMJHL Shawinigan in his draft year, then won AHL MVP in 2023-24 by leading the league with 77 points for the Texas Stars.
Watch a few of his goals from his time with the Stars:
Nashville is betting the rest of that offense shows up now that Bourque gets real minutes. A spot on the second power-play unit is waiting, and there’s a top-six job at even strength up for grabs too.
He’s shot better than 13 percent in each of his two NHL seasons while averaging under 1.5 shots per game. Bump up the volume and the goal totals can climb in a hurry.
Handing six years to a 24-year-old scorer tells you exactly how much the Predators liked what they traded for.
