On July 1, former Lightning defenseman Nick Perbix became an unrestricted free agent, ultimately signing a two-year, $5.5 million contract with the Nashville Predators. Perbix met with the Nashville media for the first time on Tuesday morning where he was asked about the process. “Free agency is pretty unique, and obviously Nashville is a great city, great fan base, obviously tough place to play from playing on the other side of things, so that was exciting,” Perbix said of his decision to join the Preds. The 27-year old credited Lightning defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh for helping him grow both on and off the ice over the years. “Just being around guys like Victor Hedman…and even Ryan McDonough who was here, you learn a lot from those types of guys,” Perbix said. “Just with the experience they had of winning their couple of cups and going to another final right before I got there.. Everyone in the organization, even the forwards.” Perbix, who says he’s spoken to his new teammates Roman Josi and Ryan O’Reilly, is also looking forward to being back on the same team with former Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. “I guess you could say he was my first captain in pro,” Perbix said of Stamkos. “He showed me the way of what it's like to be a pro. I’ve found it’s a lot more open. It’s kind of up to you to determine what you do on a day in, day out basis.” Perbix was drafted by the Lightning in the sixth-round of the NHL draft in 2017. Since making his NHL debut in October 2022, he logged an average of 15:45 minutes per game. Prior to Perbix becoming a free agent, the Lightning signed defenseman Max Crozier to a three-year contract worth an AAV of $775,000. Crozier could get a chance to step into Perbix’s former role for the Bolts. Photo Credit: © Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
