Predators' priority remains re-signing Ryan Ellis, but what about John Tavares?

Adam Vingan | The Tennessean

With free agency nearing, the Predators' main priority remains re-signing defenseman Ryan Ellis, who is eligible for an extension when the market opens Sunday. He has one year left on his bargain $12.5 million contract.

"We had some productive conversations but we're not there yet," said Rick Curran, Ellis' agent, of recent contract talks. "I'm always optimistic that a deal can be done but I never put a time frame on it."

John Carlson, another Curran client who was the best defenseman available in free agency, signed an eight-year contract worth $64 million Sunday to stay with the Washington Capitals. Ellis won't command that much, but an annual cap hit between $6 and $7 million is realistic, if not slightly more.

“He wants to be with us,” Predators general manager David Poile told reporters Saturday after the NHL draft. “We want to have him.”

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Although Ellis' new contract won't count against the salary cap next season if and when he signs, it will have an effect on the Predators' plans this offseason and beyond.

With the cap set at $79.5 million, the Predators have about $12 million — $12,000,834, to be precise — in projected space according to capfriendly.com. Eight NHL teams have less.

Based on analyst Matt Cane's projections, the Predators' three restricted free agents — all-rookie goaltender Juuse Saros as well as forwards Ryan Hartman and Miikka Salomaki — could cost around $5 million. The Predators submitted qualifying offers for all three players Monday, with Salomaki the only one with arbitration rights.

To sign a high-profile free agent, of which there aren't many this summer, the Predators would be required to move money out by making a trade, which Poile has said multiple times he'd prefer not to do.

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“I don’t think we’re going to make too many moves with our team," Poile said last week. "I think that Ryan’s contract more impacts what our thought process is two, three, four, five years down the road. In terms of just going after somebody in free agency, you never say never, but it doesn’t feel like that’s necessarily what we’re going to do.

"Yes, if you said that we sign another top defenseman or a top forward, I’m not so sure we have the money to allocate for that. If we did something like that, then we’re really creating a move that we’d have to make. And I don’t see that happening.”

But what if it meant possibly signing the league's most prized free agent?

The Predators, according to multiple reports Monday, weren't among the teams granted an audience in Los Angeles with New York Islanders captain John Tavares.

The Athletic, however, reported Monday that Tavares was "apparently intrigued" by a phone conversation with Poile. Tavares' next contract, according to the website, "will come in around $12 million per year."

“Things change fast, so I always like to be cautious when I say things," Poile said when asked if he planned to be aggressive in free agency. "But right now, (Ellis) is the focal point.”

Reach Adam Vingan at avingan@tennessean.com and on Twitter @AdamVingan.