David Poile has done it again.

The Nashville Predators general manager signed budding young forward Viktor Arvidsson to a seven-year contract worth $29.75 million. That's an annual cap hit of just $4.25 million.

Arivdsson turned 24 years old in April and is coming off a breakout year in which he scored 31 goals, added 30 assists, and was a major reason why the Preds made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

There is some risk for Poile and the Predators as they're locking up a player with just one good season under his belt, but by watching Arvidsson play and looking deeper into the numbers, it's clear this is a very calculated risk.

Numbers don't lie

Arvidsson came out of nowhere to score 31 goals last season, but he did so with a shooting percentage of 12.6 percent, which is only slightly above the league average of 10.753 percent for forwards.

The speedy forward wasn't one-dimensional either. He scored 22 of his 31 goals at even strength, four on the power-play, and a league-leading five while shorthanded. Having a first-line player who can kill penalties is a huge asset.

Speaking of the first line, Arvidsson found great chemistry alongside Ryan Johansen and Filip Forsberg on the team's top unit, but it took him some time to grow into that role.

He averaged 17:09 minutes per game last season, but only 15:13 in the first 20 games. He played 18:10 in the final 20 games of the season, which probably provides a better idea of what his ice time will look like next season.

On a per 60-minute basis, Arvidsson ranked third among NHL forwards in shot attempts by one's team while said player was on the ice (at five-one-five), trailing only Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Essentially, if an entire game was played at five-on-five and Arvidsson was on the ice for all 60 minutes, the Predators would have averaged 68.4 shot attempts per game.

Sticking with rate stats, Arvidsson also ranked exceptionally well in scoring chances for per 60 minutes (SCF/60), which tracks how many scoring chances a team generated while an individual player was on the ice. Arvidsson ranked 14th among NHL forwards with 32.79 SCF/60. In comparison, Sidney Crosby led the league with 37.96 SCF/60.

What all of this means is that Arvidsson's breakout season doesn't appear to be a fluke.

Comparable contracts

The good people at Cap Friendly put together a list of contracts that compare to Arvidsson's. Here are some names who matched up:

No player on this list has ever reached the 60-point plateau, and only Rakell and Henrique have scored 30 goals, but both did so with inflated shooting percentages.

Predators are sitting pretty

The Predators have just under $15 million in cap space remaining after re-signing Arvidsson. They still have to re-sign restricted free agents Johansen and Austin Watson, but that should still leave them with plenty of wiggle room.

More importantly, Arvidsson joins a list of key Predators players who are vastly underpaid. Take a look:

Arvidsson, Forsberg, Josi, Ekholm, and Ellis have a combined cap hit of just $20.5 million. These bargains significantly extend Nashville's window of competing for the Stanley Cup.

Give yourself a pat on the back, Mr Poile.

(Advanced stats courtesy: Natural Stat Trick)

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)

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Viktor Arvidsson's breakout season earned him some long-term security.

The Nashville Predators signed the 24-year-old winger to a seven-year, $29.75-million contract Saturday.

That works out to an average annual value of $4.25 million for Arvidsson, who tied for the team lead in goals (31) and points (61) this past season.

He was a restricted free agent who had a salary arbitration hearing scheduled for Saturday, but the two sides were obviously able to come to terms without resorting to that route.

Arvidsson was drafted 112th overall by the Predators in 2014.

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Patrick Kane will miss dishing to the bread man.

The Chicago Blackhawks blew the roof off earlier in the offseason when they dealt former Calder Trophy winner Artemi Panarin to the Columbus Blue Jackets for former Blackhawk Brandon Saad.

It was the Blackhawks' and Stan Bowman's attempt to bulk up and change the complexion of the roster, but Kane will miss the chemistry he and Panarin had developed over the last two seasons.

"I'd be lying to you if I was sitting up here saying I wasn’t disappointed when it first went down, no doubt about it,’" Kane said, according to Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘Artemi's a great kid, someone I got along with really well off the ice and had that chemistry with on the ice. It was just fun to play with him every night. I'll miss him, for sure."

With Panarin now out of the picture, the question is who will Kane play with next season and going forward? Early indications are that Saad will reunite with captain Jonathan Toews, but as for Kane, he doesn't seem too worried about who will take Panarin's spot.

"Who knows what's going to happen?" Kane said. "I could have better chemistry with a guy like (Nick) Schmaltz or better chemistry with someone like (Ryan) Hartman. And I know I played well with (Patrick) Sharp in the past, too. I’m looking forward to the season and the next challenge."

Over the last two seasons, Kane has paced the league with 195 points, while Panarin sits seventh with 151 points. So, whoever Kane indeed plays with, there's no denying it won't be the same without Panarin.

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Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin is seeking a reported $4.35 million in annual salary via his upcoming arbitration hearing. The Penguins are countering with a much smaller cap hit of $1.95 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Dumoulin saw his average time on ice rise by nearly two minutes from the 2016-17 regular season to the playoffs. He was instrumental in anchoring the eventual Stanley Cup champions' defense corps while Kris Letang missed the entire postseason and Justin Schultz missed a portion of the Eastern Conference Final.

He finished the playoffs with six points through 25 games, after scoring a lone goal but contributing 14 assists in 70 regular-season games. He finished the season with an even plus-minus rating but a positive Corsi For rating of 50.7 percent.

Dumoulin will be expected to play a larger role in 2017-18 with defenseman Trevor Daley joining the Detroit Red Wings in free agency.

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The asking prices are in for Austin Watson's next contract.

The Nashville Predators forward - who is a restricted free agent - is set to have an arbitration hearing July 24. He's reportedly asking for a one-year, $1.4-million deal from the Predators, while the team is offering a one-year contract at $700,000, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Watson played a career-high 77 games this season with the Predators, scoring five goals and adding 12 assists. He also tallied four goals and nine points in 22 playoff games.

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The Arizona Coyotes have re-signed forward Jordan Martinook to a two-year contract, the team announced Saturday. Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports the deal is worth an annual average value of $1.8 million

Martinook scored a career-high 11 goals in 2016-17 and finished with 25 points through 77 games after scoring nine goals with 24 points the year prior. Selected in the second round of the 2012 draft, Martinook has typically been used in a defensive role at the NHL level, starting 57.9 percent of his shifts in his own end and posting a Corsi For rating of 47.1 percent.

Forward Anthony Duclair is the lone restricted free agent the Coyotes have left to sign.

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Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Tatar can finally take a deep breath.

The three-time 20-goal scorer inked a new deal on Thursday, agreeing to a four-year, $21.2-million contract with the only NHL team he's ever known.

"I really, really wanted to (stay), I love it here," Tatar told Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. "I have so many friends, I have (a) great relationship with guys in the locker room. It would be really hard to have a one-year deal and not know what is coming in the future. I am extremely happy to stay. It is (a) big relief."

The 26-year old was a restricted free agent, and given that the Wings have finished 24th and 23rd in the league in goals in the last two seasons, respectively, locking up their leading goal-scorer from two of the past three seasons was the obvious decision.

Had Tatar and the club not agreed to an extension by the end of the day, an independent arbitrator would have announced a decision on a one-year contract, something Tatar is obviously happy didn't come to fruition.

"It's really exciting we (found a) way to get a deal done," he said. "It was a little stressful, I was not real happy it went all the way there. I think we were always trying to a find a way to sign a deal without having to wait for (an) arbitrator and I am really glad we did it."

One person who might be more ecstatic than Tatar himself? This fan who got a tattoo of Tatar last November:

There's having a favorite player, and then there's this. Talk about being obsessed dedicated.

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Clean, clear, and under control.

Nolan Patrick had an "abscess/boil" that has been addressed, and he's doing well, the Philadelphia Flyers revealed Friday night.

The 18-year-old was held off the ice Thursday due to what the club originally referred to as an infection in his face.

Patrick battled through an injury-plagued draft year but took part in the NHL's scouting combine before being selected second overall by the Flyers last month.

The Flyers have to be relieved that his latest ailment won't boil over into the regular season.

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