Though there was plenty of speculation that the Ottawa Senators would not re-sign Chris Wideman, the team announced today a one-year contract extension worth $1MM for their defenseman. Wideman was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent, but will remain with the Senators for at least one more season.
Wideman, 28, is a hard player for some Senators fans to get excited about after missing nearly the entire season due to injury after suffering a torn hamstring in late November. Even before that, the Senators and head coach Guy Boucher seemed loathe to use him in various situations and gave him fewer than 14 minutes a night through his 156-game NHL career. Wideman performed extremely well in those limited minutes though, posting huge possession numbers over the last few seasons. A lot of that is due to sheltering from the coaching staff, since they had Erik Karlsson and Cody Ceci to play during the tough minutes, but he could see an increased role should Karlsson be sent packing this summer.
The Senators enter the year with a clear goal of putting the last few months behind them and finding some sort of stability for the franchise. Though this summer will be filled with rumor about Karlsson’s future, bringing a familiar face back for another season will do nothing but help that stability. Wideman has shown ability to contribute when called upon, and for just $1MM is a nearly risk-free proposition for the team.
That’s actually a really good deal. Hopefully this pushes Harpur out of the mix thought and not Claesson.
Yep. Underrated guy in my opinion. He could be a really good trade chip this year and the deadline potentially with all the opportunity in Ottawa. Will be interesting to watch