As the Ottawa Senators head into a season filled with excitement and high expectations, general manager Pierre Dorion had some more fun for fans at today’s media availability. The team has agreed to an eight-year extension with Tim Stutzle, avoiding any restricted free agency with the young forward. The deal is for a total of $66.8MM and will carry an average annual value of $8.35MM. Stutzle is entering the final year of his entry-level contract and was scheduled to be an RFA next summer. The full details are as follows:
- 2023-24: $5.0MM
- 2024-25: $6.5MM
- 2025-26: $9.0MM
- 2026-27: $9.0MM
- 2027-28: $10.0MM + 10-team NTC
- 2028-29: $10.0MM + 10-team NTC
- 2029-30: $9.9MM + 10-team NTC
- 2030-31: $7.4MM + 10-team NTC
It is an eye-popping amount for the 20-year-old, who has played just 132 games at the NHL level, but Stutzle showed last season that he is on track to be a dynamic offensive player for a long time. With 22 goals and 58 points in 79 games, he trailed only Brady Tkachuk for the team lead while making the transition to center. The Senators are betting that his meteoric rise will only continue in the future, making this contract look like a bargain down the road.
That bet, while a decent one to make on a player this young and talented, also comes with a fair amount of risk. The Senators do not have unlimited funds to throw around, and with Tkachuk, Joshua Norris, and Thomas Chabot all signed for big-money deals, things may get tight down the road if any of them take a step backward. Remember, the Senators are also going to face a tough negotiation with Alex DeBrincat at some point, who has just one year left of RFA status after this season and will likely be looking for a massive contract.
Still, for a team that has had trouble retaining their stars in the past, the idea of having this core locked up through essentially their entire prime is great news for Senators fans. The drafted-and-developed talent will be sticking around, at least until the team decides it is the right time to move on.
Stutzle, the third overall pick from 2020, is penciled in as the team’s second-line center for next season and could find himself between elite talent like DeBrincat and Drake Batherson, making quite the trio. For a team that has been near the bottom of the league for the last several years, the Senators top-six (and perhaps top-nine) looks quite formidable.
This contract will certainly be held up by other restricted free agents as well, given how much it relies on projection over actual results. Stutzle has just 34 goals to his name at the NHL level, fewer than Norris scored last season alone. He will nevertheless be paid more than his older teammate, who will start his own eight-year deal this season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
50/50 that this will be a great deal for the Sens.
Should put an * on Batherson’s name….not sure he’s going to be playing this year…nor should he be if guilty.
What?
Batherson is thought to be implicated on the jr team sexual abuse case from a few years ago. If he is, high likelihood of suspension
The Leafs model – top heavy dollars. Been working great for the Leafs. Seriously, the Leafs know the playoffs are four rounds, right?
@30 Parks –
“They are ???”
— Signed, MLSE
:)
The Senators will be tight with the cap once DeBrincat signs long term & they have a few defenseman becoming UFAs next offseason to replace.
Insane!
Nice player.
He’d have to max out his potential to earn this deal and he’s only flashed it so far.
This has Jon Singleton/Scott Kingery vibes.
Yea it could be. These are types of mives that either get GMs fired to make them legends
Agree. Feels like way too early to even need to go to this level. Why not ride him a but into RFA and then sign?
A 20 year old making 8million plus is what’s wrong with this league right now. He has accomplished nothing to warrant that payday. As good as he may be at some point he’s not a 8 million dollar player right now. I’m of the firm belief you earn your pay off what you have done not what you are capable of potentially doing
He is 20 now, but won’t be 21 until the contract kicks in. IF he can continue his growth and become a 75-80 point per season player 8.3M will be more than fair for those 8 years, especially with expected growth of the cap. It’s a risk yes. But if he continues his growth and becomes a face of the league it will pay off. Probably the 2nd biggest face of the NHL in Germany already. Helps the league and the Sens.
Probably about 500k more than I would wish to risk on someone I was paying. But an ok risk IMO.
How is paying for past performance better than paying for future performance?