The Nashville Predators and captain Roman Josi have agreed to terms on an eight-year contract extension with an average annual value of $9.059 million, making him the highest paid defenseman in the league, according to an official team statement.

“Roman Josi is one of the top defensemen in the National Hockey League and our team leader as captain” Predators general manager David Poile said in a statement.

“As he enters his prime, we look forward to Roman continuing to showcase his elite skills in Smashville and guiding our team in pursuit of the ultimate goal, the Stanley Cup.”

With the new deal, Poile was granted a full no-trade clause, and he will be under contract with the team through the 2027-2028 season.

The Nashville Predators have activated veteran franchise goaltender Pekka Rinne, has been out for around 10 days following a collision with teammate Kevin Fiala, from the injured reserve list, the team officially announced on Wednesday.

In a corresponding move, Nashville assigned Troy Grosenich to the minors.

Rinne, 35, and the team continue to negotiate a contract extension but there isn’t anything imminent regarding those talks, according to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun.

The Nashville Predators have acquired forward Nick Baptiste from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for defenseman Jack Doughtery in a trade that was announced by both teams on Monday.

Baptiste appeared in 33 games for the Sabres last season, scoring 4 goals and notching 2 assists. Baptiste was Buffalo’s 2013 third-round draft pick.

Dougherty has played the past 2 seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals, Nashville’s AHL affiliate team, where he registered 1 goal and picked up 11 assists over 63 games with the team last season.