Predators Sign Mavrik Bourque To Six-Year Deal

Bourque cashes in on his first long-term deal three days after Nashville paid a second and third-round pick to acquire his signing rights, plus defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin from the cap-strapped Stars. If Nashville were to have submitted this contract as an offer sheet instead, it would have cost them a first and a third, so they end up coming out ahead here.

Selected 30th overall in 2020, the 24-year-old Bourque started to come into his own last season in Dallas. In his sophomore season, he broke out for 20 goals and 41 points while seeing significant time on the wing in the Stars’ top six with Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston. A natural center, he only wins 45.8% of his draws for his career to date.

Bourque has flashed elite offensive upside in the juniors and minors. He had 71 points in just 49 games for QMJHL Shawinigan in his draft year and was named the AHL’s most valuable player as a second-year pro in 2023-24, leading the league with 77 points in 71 games for the Texas Stars. It’s been hard for him to push for much power-play time on a stacked Dallas squad, though, and he’s still finding confidence in his shot – averaging under 1.5 shots on goal per game in each of his two full NHL seasons.

There’s still time for Bourque’s offensive game to fully arrive, and Nashville is banking on that happening this year with a likely spot on their second power-play unit awaiting him. Whether he’ll slot in on the center or wing remains to be seen, but there’s a top-six job at even strength with his name written all over it, too. He’s shot above 13% in both of his NHL seasons, so there’s legitimate 30-to-40-goal potential if he can keep up that accuracy while increasing his volume.

What’s already well established is Bourque’s defensive impact. Possession has swung significantly in Dallas’ favor with Bourque on the ice over the last two years, posting relative Corsi shares of +3.5% and +5.4%. That’s with Bourque starting under half his shifts in the offensive zone. He should fit in nicely on a Predators team that was around league average in the possession department last season.

The deal, of course, walks Bourque well into unrestricted free agency. It’ll be up following the 2031-32 season, when he’ll be 30 years old, buying out three UFA years. Given the quickly-inflating market, $5.5MM for a center who’s already established his floor as a third-liner with plenty of room to grow is a solid bet.

Nashville doesn’t have many long-term deals on the books. He joins Jack Drury, Brady Skjei, and Juuse Saros as the only Preds signed past the end of the decade. With some potential big-ticket deals for now-pending RFAs Luke Evangelista and Matthew Wood on the horizon in the next 12 months, getting long-term cost certainty with Bourque is smart work from new GM Chris MacFarland.