"He's still in disbelief," Weber's agent Kevin Epp told ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun earlier today. "They were so close this year in terms of the team's chances. They really had a shot. Shea believed there was a good chance that Ryan would stay there. So right now, Shea is still processing this news."
Weber is a restricted free agent and if he opts to sign with another team, the Predators have the right to match any offer.
It's believed the Predators want to sign Weber to a long-term deal, in the 12-year range, worth more than $8 million per season.
"I'm going to turn my attention to that, and I've told to Shea on numerous occasions he's the captain of our team. I want to build our team around him," Predators GM David Poile told the Tennessean. "He has been terrific in the captain's role, as a player. I hope he will re-sign with us."
Poile offered Suter a 13-year, $90 million contract, but was unable to counter Minnesota's offer, as Suter reportedly agreed to the deal before going back to the Predators.
Weber, who turns 27 on Aug. 14, doesn't appear to be in a rush to get a deal done, but it certainly sounds as if he wants to build a winner in Nashville.
"We're not in any hurry," Epp said. "There's no deadline to this. We'll take our time and figure out the right thing to do."
