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Preds do ‘due diligence’ and sign Ribeiro -- one year, $1.05 million

MikeRibeiro

Whatever “behavioral issues” Mike Ribeiro had with the Coyotes weren’t enough to dissuade the Nashville Predators from signing the 34-year-old center to a one-year, $1.05 million contract.

“Mike is a talented veteran center who has produced offensively everywhere he has played,” Preds general manager David Poile said in a release. “We have done our due diligence and believe Mike has a lot to offer to our team, improves us at our center ice position and will fit in with our group and contribute.”

The signing of Ribeiro comes on the heels of last week’s news that center Mike Fisher had ruptured his Achilles during an offseason training session and would be out for the next 4-6 months.

With the Preds looking to play more of an offense-oriented game under new coach Peter Laviolette, Ribeiro will provide new winger James Neal a center who’s racked up 454 assists in 865 career NHL games. Ribeiro may not be Jason Spezza, but he’s still a decent playmaker, at a low cost to boot.

By the way, there’s also been plenty of speculation the Preds could be signing center Derek Roy, so stay tuned for possible news on that.

Related: Coyotes buy out Ribeiro