Nashville Predators general manager David Poile told reporters after his club was eliminated from post-season play that he intended to re-sign the team's restricted free agents, the most notable being defensemen Ryan Suter and Shea Weber and winger Martin Erat.

On Monday the Predators GM proved how serious he was with that statement, re-signing Erat to a seven-year, $31.5 million contract extension, which breaks down to $4.5 million per season.

The 26-year-old Erat had his second-straight 57-point season in 2007-08 and proven to be a valuable member of the Predators offensive attack, continuing to make steady improvement since he was drafted in the seventh round by the Predators in 1999.

Some will inevitably question the Predators paying Erat that much but it's keeping with the going rate for players of his caliber. Besides, Poile couldn't run the risk of letting Erat going unsigned after July 1st, where he might've gotten as much if not more via offer sheet.

It's also another example of a team paying for potential. Erat's consecutive 57-point seasons suggests he's capable of more, and over the next seven seasons he'll be in his playing prime which traditionally for players is their late-twenties through to their early-thirties.

With the cap continuing to rise and salaries rising accordingly Erat's salary will be a bargain in a couple of years, especially if he puts up more than 57 points per season.

Having re-upped Erat, Jordin Tootoo and J.P. Dumont since January, Poile's attention now turns to Weber and Suter. It could prove more costly to retain those two but the Preds GM is determined to get it done, and has already indicated he'll match any offer for those two if they're still unsigned by July.

The Erat signing along with those of Dumont and Tootoo is a good sign for Predators fans of just how serious their team is to retain their best players only a year after previous ownership forced Poile to make cost-cutting trades of Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell and Tomas Vokoun and allowing Paul Kariya to walk via free agency a year ago.

If anyone still thinks the Preds will be slashing payroll or unwilling to spend on their roster for next season, the Erat signing should dispel that.