Report: Predators, Ellis 'still not close' in contract negotiations
As the calendar gets set to turn to September, it appears as though the Nashville Predators and restricted free agent defenseman Ryan Ellis are no closer to reaching an agreement on a new contract.
From my understanding, #preds and Ryan Ellis still not close... but again with RFAs it takes one phone call to change everything
— JoshuaCooper (@JoshuaCooper) August 29, 2014
Ellis, 23, scored six goals and added 21 assists while averaging a touch over 16 minutes of ice time in 80 games this past season. The 11th overall pick in the 2009 Draft ranked second among Predators defensemen with a 50.3 Corsi For rating, and first with an average of 1.04 points per 60 minutes at even strength (via Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com).
As per Capgeek, Nashville has almost $12 million in available cap space, so clearly the money is there to get a deal done; differences in term and valuation are likely holding up the proceedings, with the club presumably needing to see more from the young defenseman before diving in too deep in regards to both.