The Ottawa Senators may have brought back their AHL head coach, but they’re losing a minor league forward. Jonathan Davidsson has signed a one-year contract with HV71 in Sweden. He’ll be joined by his brother Marcus Davidsson, a Buffalo Sabres draft pick that became an unrestricted free agent when he went unsigned at the beginning of this month.
Jonathan Davidsson, 24, was a sixth-round pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets back in 2017 and ended up in the Senators organization as part of the return for Matt Duchene. At the time, he looked like an interesting prospect who had found plenty of success at the SHL level. Unfortunately, his offensive production didn’t make the trip to North America, as the right-winger scored just five points in his 30 games with the Belleville Senators. In a six-game stint with Ottawa in 2019-20, he managed just a single assist.
The Senators will be able to retain his exclusive rights with a qualifying offer, though it certainly is no guarantee to come. The team doesn’t really have a place for him at this point in the NHL or AHL, so cutting ties may be the most likely outcome.
His younger brother Marcus Davidsson is an interesting story, given how high he was selected in the 2017 draft. The 37th-overall pick, he was actually ranked 12th among international skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Unfortunately, the offensive production that was expected never happened and the 22-year-old never ended up signing his entry-level contract. In 49 games split between the SHL and the second tier last season, he managed just 14 points.