Rumor: Star RFA forward is reportedly asking for a monster contract!

The Nashville Predators are actually negotiating with pending restricted free agent Ryan Johansen, who is looking to sign a long and lucrative deal with his current team. While he did not file for arbitration, we still expect him to ask general manager David Poile for a lot of money. 

Thanks to The Hockey News' Ryan Kennedy, we now have a better idea of what the 24-year-old is asking and believe me, this is going to be a monster deal.

Johansen's demands are pretty clear: he wants a long-term, $8.5 million per season deal. That would be comparable to what Sidney Crosby ($8,7 million), Corey Perry ($8,625 million) and Steven Stamkos ($8,5 million) are earning each year. Is it a bit expensive? Some would argue that 6'3" centermen are extremely rare, so you better pay them to keep them.

Johansen was selected 14th overall in the 2010 NHL draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Last season, he recorded 14 goals and 47 assists for 61 points in 82 games with Nashville. He also added three goals and 10 assist in 14 playoff games, before suffering a very serious leg injury during the Game 4 of Western Conference Final. He is expected to fully recover and be ready for training camp.