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Ottawa Senators Sign Brady Tkachuk

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The Ottawa Senators held strong in their ask of a long-term contract for Brady Tkachuk, and it appears as though it has paid off. Ottawa has signed their prized RFA to a seven-year, $57.5MM contract. That makes Tkachuk the highest-paid player on the Senators, just eclipsing the $8MM cap hit that Thomas Chabot carries. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports that the deal includes a full no-movement clause in the final three years. The full breakdown is as follows:

  • 2021-22: $4.0MM salary
  • 2022-23: $6.5MM salary
  • 2023-24: $10.5MM salary
  • 2024-25: $10.5MM salary
  • 2025-26: $10.5MM salary
  • 2026-27: $8.5MM salary
  • 2027-28: $7.0MM salary

Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a statement:

This is an exciting day for the Ottawa Senators. Brady possesses a very dynamic skill set and is a prototypical power forward in today’s NHL. He scores goals, he plays physical and exemplifies what it means to be a pro for all players in our organization.

As expected, the deal does not include any signing bonus money, a staple of Dorion’s negotiations. Tkachuk is expected to be in the building tonight for the team when they take on the Toronto Maple Leafs, but will not play, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

Compared to the short-term deals that could have taken Tkachuk to unrestricted free agency much quicker, this is a huge win for the Senators. They will pay their star forward a bit more than some of his contemporaries–Andrei Svechnikov signed an eight-year, $62MM deal ($7.75MM AAV)–but will not have to worry about another negotiation for quite some time.

Technically, because the season has already started, Tkachuk’s cap hit for the 2021-22 season will actually be slightly higher, coming in at $8,330,674 according to CapFriendly. That really doesn’t mean much for the Senators, who are nowhere near the cap ceiling. The hit will come down to $8,205,714 for the final six years of the deal, still making Tkachuk the most expensive player on the team.

There is no doubt that the 22-year-old forward is the heartbeat of the Senators, though it is important to remember that this is still a player that has never eclipsed 22 goals or 45 points in a single season. Ottawa very likely paid a premium in this deal because of their history of losing (trading) stars as they approached free agency, something they obviously wanted to avoid in this situation. The team is expecting big things from the young group they’ve assembled, and needed the leader back on the ice to push things in the right direction.

That essentially ends the RFA period for this season, with all of the major players signed. Quite a bit of money was handed out this offseason as things return to normal, even though there is no significant salary cap movement expected until 2025.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Minor Transactions: 10/12/21

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Opening Night of the 2021-22 NHL campaign has finally arrived and all eyes are on the season-opening matchups between the defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins and the league’s newest team, the Seattle Kraken, and the Vegas Golden Knights. Yet, it has also been a very busy day for “minor” transactions, both the advent of regular NHL recalls and reassignments as well as several notable signings and trades. Keep up with all of these moves right here:

  • AHL trades are not common, but there is already one in the books for this season. The Belleville Senators have announced that they have acquired forward Jake Lucchini from the Laval Rocket for future considerations. Lucchini, 26, spent the past season and a half with Laval, but without much to show for it. The former Michigan Tech standout and Pittsburgh Penguins prospect has yet to make his mark on the pros, but will get another shot with Belleville this season.
  • A KHL trade today also contained some recognizable names. SKA St. Petersburg has acquired former NHL forward Valentin Zykov from Sibir Novosibirsk. The return is another former NHL forward, Vladislav Kamenev, and San Jose Sharks prospect Yegor Spirodonov. Zykov had been playing in Sweden to begin this year, but now that his KHL rights have transferred he has agreed to a one-year deal with SKA. Zykov skated in 15 games with the Vegas Golden Knights just last year, recording four points. Kamenev spent all of last season in St. Petersburg after notching eight points in 38 games with the Colorado Avalanche in 2019-20. Spirodonov, a 2019 selection, has yet to be given much of a chance in the KHL and could be bound for North America next season if he doesn’t earn a greater role with Novosibirsk.
  • Ben Hutton’s late-preseason PTO with the Anaheim Ducks didn’t result in an NHL contract – at least not yet – but the veteran defenseman is remaining with the organization. Hutton has signed an AHL contract with the San Diego Gulls, the team announced. Hutton began last season with the Ducks and that familiarity with the organization combined with the team’s potential seller status could lead to a promotion to an NHL deal at some point this year.
  • After initial rosters were finalized yesterday with a vast number of AHL assignments, at least one team is already switching things up. The Dallas Stars have recalled forwards Joel Kiviranta and Jacob Peterson from AHL Texas and sent fellow forwards Oskar Back and Ty Dellandrea and goaltender Jake Oettinger back in a corresponding move. If Peterson plays in Dallas’ opener on Thursday, it will mark his NHL debut.

Ottawa Senators Extend Parker Kelly

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The Ottawa Senators have signed Parker Kelly to a two-year extension, keeping him under contract through the 2023-24 season. The deal is two-way in 2023-24, paying Kelly $750K at the NHL level and $100K in the AHL, and is one-way in the final season and carries an NHL salary of $775K. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a statement on the deal:

Parker has long been a consistently tenacious player for us. He’s competitive, hard-nosed, an efficient penalty killer and someone we can rely on to provide us with an energetic and determined effort every game.

It hasn’t really been very long, despite what Dorion says, as Kelly only played his first full season with the organization in 2019-20, but the tenacity has certainly been apparent from day one. An undrafted free agent signing in 2017, he returned to the Prince Albert Raiders for two seasons where his offensive production increased and then stepped into a role with the Belleville Senators without issue. Last season, Kelly made his NHL debut, scoring in his first and only game.

Kelly made the team’s opening night roster, though he seems likely to be the first send down should Brady Tkachuk reach a deal at some point in the near future. The 22-year-old is now locked up though and can provide some valuable bottom-six depth for the next several years at a low price point. If the Senators ever believed that Kelly could break out and land a full-time role, perhaps extending him early will save them some money down the road. Regardless, he’ll be making the league minimum for at least two more seasons.

Signing Bonus Money Not The Issue In Tkachuk's Contract Talks

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While there has been a suggestion in recent days that signing bonuses have been a big part of the holdup in contract talks for Senators RFA winger Brady Tkachuk, that isn’t the case, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch.  The scribe suggests that at this point, the biggest holdup is term and total salary in each option.  Ottawa’s known preference is a max-term eight-year deal while Tkachuk’s camp appears to be leaning towards preferring a bridge deal.  With Ottawa’s regular season getting underway on Thursday, time is running out to have the 22-year-old in the lineup on opening night.

Austin Watson Out Four Weeks For Ottawa Senators

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Ottawa Senators head coach D.J. Smith confirmed today that forward Austin Watson will be out of the lineup for four weeks. The veteran winger sustained an ankle injury during the preseason.

Things are turning sour quickly for the Senators, who’ll now be without both Watson and Colin White, as well as potentially Brady Tkachuk, for their season opener. They’ll play their first game of the 2021-22 season at home on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Watson, largely brought into Ottawa for his grit and fighting ability, has been a remarkably consistent bottom-six player over the past few seasons. He made his impact felt during his first season in Ottawa last year, tallying three goals and 10 points in 34 games while adding on 40 penalty minutes.

Now 29 years old, the Ann Arbor, Michigan native spent eight years in the Nashville Predators organizations before moving to Ottawa prior to last season. He was a first-round pick of the Predators in 2010, drafted 18th overall. Watson has 39 goals and 87 points in 340 career games.

If Ottawa needs a physical presence while Watson is on the shelf, they could look to Scott Sabourin as an internal replacement. Largely a career AHLer, Sabourin got into 35 games with the Sens back in 2019-20 and could reprise his role as an enforcer again.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/10/21

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A variety of final or close-to-final cuts will be made to rosters today, as opening-night rosters are due tomorrow. Here are today’s training camp cuts:

Buffalo Sabres (via team Tweet):

F Brandon Biro (to Rochester, AHL)
D Casey Fitzgerald (to Rochester, AHL)

Calgary Flames (via The Athletic’s Hailey Salvian):

F Walker Duehr (to Stockton, AHL)
F Byron Froese (to Stockton, AHL)
F Justin Kirkland (to Stockton, AHL)
D Connor Mackey (to Stockton, AHL)
G Adam Werner (to Stockton, AHL)

Carolina Hurricanes (via team release):

D Joey Keane (to Chicago, AHL)
G Alex Lyon (to Chicago, AHL)
F Ryan Suzuki (to Chicago, AHL)

Chicago Blackhawks (via NBC Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis):

F Alexander Nylander (to Rockford, AHL)

Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release):

D Gavin Bayreuther (to Cleveland, AHL)
*D Gabriel Carlsson (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Justin Danforth (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Liam Foudy (to Cleveland, AHL)
*D Mikko Lehtonen (to Cleveland, AHL)
*F Kevin Stenlund (to Cleveland, AHL)
G Daniil Tarasov (to Cleveland, AHL)

Dallas Stars (via team release):

D Dawson Barteaux (to Texas, AHL)
F Mavrik Bourque (to Shawinigan, QMJHL)
D Joseph Cecconi (to Texas, AHL)
F Tye Felhaber (to Texas, AHL)
D Thomas Harley (to Texas, AHL)
F Jordan Kawaguchi (to Texas, AHL)
D Ryan Shea (to Texas, AHL)
F Riley Tufte (to Texas, AHL)

Detroit Red Wings (via team Tweet):

G Calvin Pickard (to Grand Rapids, AHL)

Edmonton Oilers (via team release):

G Stuart Skinner (to Bakersfield, AHL)

Nashville Predators (via team Tweet):

F Egor Afanasyev (to Milwaukee, AHL)
D Jeremy Davies (to Milwaukee, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via The Athletic’s Corey Masisak):

F Jesper Boqvist (to Utica, AHL)
*F Frederik Gauthier (to Utica, AHL)
G Akira Schmid (to Utica, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (via team Tweet):

G Filip Gustavsson (to Belleville, AHL)

San Jose Sharks (via team Tweet):

F Dylan Gambrell (to San Jose, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford):

F Logan Brown (to Springfield, AHL)
F Mackenzie MacEachern (to Springfield, AHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via team release):

*F Justin Bailey (to Abbotsford, AHL)
*D Madison Bowey (to Abbotsford, AHL)
*F Phillip Di Giuseppe (to Abbotsford, AHL)
*D Travis Hamonic (to Abbotsford, AHL)

Washington Capitals (via team Tweet):

*G Zach Fucale (to Hershey, AHL)
*F Garrett Pilon (to Hershey, AHL)

Winnipeg Jets (via team release):

F David Gustafsson (to Manitoba, AHL)
*D Nelson Nogier (to Manitoba, AHL)
*F Dominic Toninato (to Manitoba, AHL)

* – Player must clear waivers prior to assignment

Senators Recall Four Players

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Training Camp Cuts: 10/9/21

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With the submission of season-opening rosters due on Monday, many teams should be making more cuts today.  We’ll keep track of those moves here.

Columbus Blue Jackets (via team release)

F Tyler Angle (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Josh Dunne (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Brendan Gaunce (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Carson Meyer (to Cleveland, AHL)
F Tristan Mullin (released from PTO, to Cleveland, AHL)
F Justin Scott (released from PTO, to Cleveland, AHL)
F Tyler Sikura (to Cleveland, AHL)

Florida Panthers (via WPLG’s David Dwork)

F Zac Dalpe (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Noah Juulsen (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Matt Kiersted (to Charlotte, AHL)
F Serron Noel (to Charlotte, AHL)
D Chase Priskie (to Charlotte, AHL)

Minnesota Wild (via team release)

D Calen Addison (to Iowa, AHL)
F Adam Beckman (to Iowa, AHL)
F Marco Rossi (to Iowa, AHL)

Montreal Canadiens (via TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie)

F Jesse Ylonen (to Laval, AHL)

New Jersey Devils (via team Twitter)

F Joseph Gambardella (to Utica, AHL)

Ottawa Senators (via team Twitter)

F Parker Kelly (to Belleville, AHL)
G Mads Sogaard (to Belleville, AHL)

Philadelphia Flyers (via team Twitter)

G Felix Sandstrom (to Lehigh Valley, AHL)

Pittsburgh Penguins (via team release)

F Michael Chaput (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)
D Juuso Riikola (to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, AHL)

St. Louis Blues (via team release)

G Colten Ellis (to Springfield, AHL)
F Dakota Joshua (to Springfield, AHL)
D Scott Perunovich (to Springfield, AHL)

Vancouver Canucks (via team release)

F Carson Focht (to Abbotsford, AHL)
F William Lockwood (to Abbotsford, AHL)

Ankle Injury For Austin Watson

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  • Senators winger Austin Watson suffered an ankle injury in Thursday’s game against Montreal and there is no timetable for his return, reports Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Entering his second season in Ottawa, the 29-year-old was likely to start the season in an energy role once again after recording 100 hits in 34 games last season but that appears to be in question now.

Jonathan Drouin Out With Non-COVID-Related Illness

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The Montreal Canadiens announced that forward Jonathan Drouin will miss tonight’s preseason tilt against the Ottawa Senators, citing a non-COVID-related illness as the reason for the late scratch.

While the team hasn’t given any further information on Drouin’s health, a preseason absence from a guaranteed roster player usually isn’t too much to worry about. With Montreal already entering the season with a depleted roster, the full health of their players is of utmost priority right now, so Drouin’s absence can best be predicted as precautionary.

However, if Drouin does miss any period of time, it could be yet another challenge for the team at the beginning of the season. Montreal starts the season with three games in four nights against the Maple Leafs, Sabres, and Rangers. They’re currently without Carey Price, Shea Weber, Paul Byron, Mike Hoffman, and Joel Edmundson to begin the year, with all players expected to be out for varying lengths of time.

Drouin returns to the team in 2021-22 after taking a leave of absence at the end of last year, missing the entire playoffs as well. He’s struggled with injuries over the past two seasons, tallying just nine goals and 38 points in 71 games. Expected to fit into the team’s top-nine forward group this season, his return is greatly anticipated for a team looking to return to the playoffs this season.

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