Will Weber sign a long-term deal?

The clock is ticking. Shea Weber and the Nashville Predators have until Tuesday to hammer out a long-term deal. If not, the two sides will head to arbitration, which will result in a short-term contract. Will the trend continue of teams re-signing their restricted free agents prior to arbitration? Music City certainly hopes so.

In recent weeks, RFA’s who were set for arbitration, most notably New York’s Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan, have been signed the day before or the day of the arbitration date. That even happened in Nashville, just prior to the NHL/NHLPA grievance in relation to the qualifying offer snafu. GM David Poile got everyone signed and made the grievance a non-issue.

For Weber and the Predators, this is the biggest negotiation in franchise history. Not only is he the first superstar the team has ever had, but he is the face of the franchise and team captain. Head coach Barry Trotz believes the team is getting closer to the Stanley Cup after finally advancing past the first round in this past spring’s playoffs.

The longer Weber signs for, the better it is for the Preds. Why? First off, a long-term contract backs up his words about his commitment to the franchise and desire to stay in Nashville. Secondly, with Ryan Suter and Pekka Rinne due for unrestricted free agency next summer, Weber signing for the long haul can only help the other two pieces of the ‘big three’ make long-term commitments as well.

On the contrary, a short-term contract could doom the Preds. If the negotiation heads to arbitration on Tuesday, Weber can only sign a one- or two-year deal. If that were to happen, then a lot of the bonuses with a long-term deal are out the window. His commitment to Nashville would be put into question and it wouldn’t help the negotiation process with Suter and Rinne.

Hypothetically speaking, if this goes to arbitration and Weber receives a one-year deal, Poile is staring at the prospect of having to sign the ‘big three’ in the same off-season – not exactly an ideal situation.

With that being said, a short-term deal doesn’t exactly mean Weber is going to the highest bidder in 2013, the first summer he can become a UFA. Maybe he’d wait and see how the team builds off their historic 2010-11 campaign, and then sign long-term.

A report in last week’s Tennessean suggested that contract talks were at a “stalemate” (according to Jarrett Bousquet, Weber’s agent); since then there hasn’t been any update on any progress made. (One reason for the contract hold-up is the fact that Weber changed agents, from Don Meehan to Bousquet.)

With Tuesday’s arbitration looming large, Preds fans are sweating it out in this summer heat. There seems to be a sense of urgency from the fan base, hoping Poile and Weber’s camp can strike a deal by Monday.

Will Weber sign a short- or long-term contract? The clock is ticking.

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