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Ottawa Senators Extend Josh Norris For Eight Years

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The Ottawa Senators continue to form and lock up a formidable top-six forward group. Today, the team announced an eight-year, $63.6MM extension for center Josh Norris, carrying a $7.95MM cap hit. The deal keeps him a Senator until 2029-30 when he’ll be 31 years old and eligible for unrestricted free agency. The max-term extension, which is paid entirely in base salary, has the following breakdown:

2022-23: $5MM
2023-24: $6.5MM
2024-25: $9.5MM
2025-26: $9.5MM
2026-27: $9.5MM
2027-28: $8.75MM
2028-29: $7.85MM
2029-30: $7MM

General manager Pierre Dorion gave a statement on Norris’ signing:

We’re very pleased to come to a long-term agreement with Josh. He’s a versatile forward who continues to mature into an exceptional NHL player. His scoring prowess has already shown to be a considerable asset for us and one that will help us reach the next level. His dedication and the pride he takes in his physical conditioning will serve as a great example for our next wave of young players.

After finishing fourth in Calder Trophy voting during the 2020-21 season, Norris has blossomed into a true first-line center in Ottawa. Originally acquired from the San Jose Sharks as part of the blockbuster Erik Karlsson trade, Norris had 35 goals in 2021-22 to lead the team in just 66 games.

He’ll only build on those point totals as he’ll return as part of a fortified top-six that includes a healthy Drake Batherson, as well as offseason additions Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux. If Ottawa is able to make the jump to the playoffs for the first time since losing in the 2017 Eastern Conference Final, his role on the team’s top line will be a big reason why.

The Senators have $10.8MM in cap space remaining with Alex Formenton, Mathieu Joseph, and Erik Brannstrom needing new contracts, per PuckPedia. While those contracts won’t push them right against the salary cap, this Norris extension continues to mark a trend towards big spending that’s been absent in Ottawa during recent years. Committing to their talent financially on reasonable contracts like Norris’ is a clear path to sustainable success, something that the Senators organization will welcome with open arms.

Ottawa Senators Sign Antoine Bibeau, Jacob Larsson

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The Ottawa Senators may not be done adding to the NHL roster but at least part of the front office is also focused on improving the organizational depth. The team has signed Antoine Bibeau and Jacob Larsson to one-year, two-way contacts that carry cap hits of $750K at the NHL level. Bibeau will earn $100K and Larsson will earn $300K while in the AHL.

Bibeau, 28, actually found himself way down in the ECHL for part of this season, after signing a one-year contract with the Seattle Kraken. Because the Kraken were sharing an AHL affiliate, there wasn’t always room for him with the Charlotte Checkers, despite playing well whenever there.

The veteran netminder has four games of NHL experience but is a strong AHL option with a long history of success at that level. Given the recent departures from the Ottawa crease, he’ll slide into the depth chart as a reliable call-up option that isn’t focused on developing any longer.

Larsson meanwhile comes to the Senators as an interesting defensive option, after failing to receive a qualifying offer from the Anaheim Ducks. The 25-year-old was selected 27th overall in 2015 and has 165 games of experience at the NHL level, including a full season as recently as 2020-21.

While Senators general manager Pierre Dorion may have bigger fish on his mind when targeting defensive upgrades, Larsson’s presence is certainly notable as they try to change the look of their group. Though he’s on a two-way deal, there’s a realistic scenario that sees him outplay some of the team’s other options in camp and earn his way onto the roster.

Washington Capitals To Acquire Connor Brown

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After he was linked to the Edmonton Oilers earlier in the day, Connor Brown is actually on his way to the Washington Capitals. The Ottawa Senators have sent Brown to the Capitals in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick, according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

It was easy to see that Brown had been pushed out of Ottawa’s top-six by recent additions Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux, and almost immediately trade speculation started around his future. The 28-year-old forward has just one year left on his contract that carries a $3.6MM cap hit and is owed $4MM in actual salary this season.

He didn’t play his way out of Ottawa though, as the hard-working forward was still one of the team’s most consistent options last season, averaging more than 20 minutes a night and scoring 39 points in 64 games. While he probably won’t get quite as much ice time in Washington, he arrives as an instant penalty-killing improvement and versatile player that can move up and down whenever needed.

Brown is the kind of player that coaches love, never taking a shift off or quitting on a play. Not big or exceptionally skilled, he earns his paycheck by out-working the other team. It’s been like that for years. Despite being a sixth-round pick in 2012, Brown put up 128 points during his final year of junior, actually outscoring a young Connor McDavid. When he stepped into the AHL he found immediate success, scoring 21 goals and 61 points as a rookie for the Toronto Marlies.

It will be interesting to see where he starts, given the absence of Tom Wilson to start the season. Brown is a natural right-winger, though he can play the other side as well.

For the Senators, adding a second-round pick essentially makes up the value they gave Toronto in the Matt Murray trade, making them whole while clearing a good amount of money off the books. That money has been used for DeBrincat and Giroux, two offensive stars that should immediately push their team to an entirely new level.

Ottawa Senators Sign Three Players

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The Ottawa Senators have signed three depth options, inking Scott Sabourin, Jake Lucchini, and Kristians Rubins to one-year, two-way contracts. All three have NHL salaries of $750K. Sabourin will make $375K in the AHL while the other two will earn $130K.

At this point, with the Senators putting together a much more impressive NHL roster, it seems unlikely that any of the three will see extended play at the top level. Sabourin, while a fan favorite from his previous stint with the team, doesn’t offer much more than toughness and instigation. He was an important part of the Belleville Senators this season though, and will likely return to help their leadership group in 2022-23.

Rubins, left unqualified by the Toronto Maple Leafs, does have a bit of promise as a 6’5″ defenseman who moves well, though his overall upside is rather limited. The undrafted 24-year-old played three games for Toronto this year, his first taste of NHL action.

Lucchini, the only one of the three that hasn’t seen NHL time, actually had a breakout for Belleville this year, scoring 20 goals and 51 points in 72 games, leading the AHL Senators in scoring. His return, like Sabourin’s, is to keep that group together and build the “culture of winning” that is so often referenced in development circles.

Claude Giroux To Sign With Ottawa Senators

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12:53 pm: The team has indeed signed Giroux to a three-year deal worth $19.5MM in total. Giroux will earn $7MM in the first two years of the deal and $5.5MM in year 3.

11:03 am: TSN’s Pierre LeBrun is reporting that the Ottawa Senators have signed veteran forward Claude Giroux to a three-year contract carrying a cap hit of $6.5MM.

Giroux, 34, had never played for an NHL team other than the Philadelphia Flyers before this season. A deadline deal, one that was highly influenced by his no-movement clause, took him to the Florida Panthers, where he managed to show he can still be a top-end offensive player. With the goal-happy Panthers, he scored 23 points in 18 games down the stretch and then was still effective in the playoffs, even if Florida’s offense dried up in other areas.

Now, as he enters free agency, it isn’t a return to Philadelphia but a homecoming of another sort. Though originally from Hearst, Giroux and his family moved to Ottawa when he was still just a teenager, giving him the chance to go to high school in the area and play high-level minor hockey. Originally passed over in the OHL draft, he would eventually find himself joining the QMJHL’s Gatineau Olympiques, just across the river. In three seasons for Gatineau, he recorded 399 points, including a franchise-record 51 in 19 playoff games during the 2007-08 season.

His No. 28 is now retired by the Olympiques, and if the deal with Ottawa is completed, he’ll get a chance to wear it in front of the home crowd once again (if Connor Brown will give it up, at least).

Though he isn’t the MVP-caliber player of his youth, Giroux’s addition to the Senators lineup would be substantial. He and DeBrincat instantly legitimize a forward group that was previously considered young, talented, but unproven, and make them a force to be reckoned with. While there are still holes on the roster, Ottawa is making a case as a real contender in the Atlantic Division.

Florida Panthers To Sign Colin White

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After getting bought out by the Ottawa Senators, free agent forward Colin White is headed to the Florida Panthers on a one-year, $1.2MM deal per TVA’s Renaud Lavoie. White is able to sign this deal with the Panthers thanks to him being recently bought out of his long-term contract by the Ottawa Senators.

This signing is an opportunity for both White and the Panthers. For White, he gets to join the reigning President’s Trophy-winning team, a club that had one of the most lethal attacks in recent NHL history. The Panthers score goals in bunches, and the hope for White is that he can be a part of that. Success in Florida has made other players significant amounts of money, as it has done for Mason Marchment today, so White signs this one-year deal likely with the hope that he can have a productive season and re-enter the market on stronger footing next summer.

For the Panthers, they get someone who was only a few years ago seen as a core piece of the Senators for a cheap price. At $1.2MM, White should help the team’s bottom-six and be able to fill in as a center if there are any injuries, if he’s not occupying the fourth-line center slot already. The Panthers are the team that gives White the best chance of rediscovering the form that saw him post 41 points in 71 games in 2018-19.

At a $1.2MM cost, getting a 25-year-old free agent with the resume that White has is a shrewd addition for Panthers GM Bill Zito, a manager under a ton of pressure to improve after a disappointing playoff exit this spring.

Edmonton Oilers Discussing Connor Brown Trade

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If you were a fan of the Erie Otters in 2014, you might want to consider becoming an Edmonton Oilers fan today. According to Bob McKenzie of TSN the Oilers are working on a deal that would bring Ottawa Senators forward Connor Brown to Edmonton, reuniting him with junior teammate Connor McDavid.

The Senators have recently added Alex DeBrincat to the forward group and are the front-runners for Claude Giroux in free agency, which would push Brown down the lineup and out of a spot where he can really bring enough value to make his $3.6MM worthwhile.

That isn’t the case in Edmonton, where he could probably find space next to McDavid or Leon Draisaitl in the top six. Even as a third-line option he would be a nice addition for the Oilers, who can use him and former Toronto Maple Leaf teammate Zach Hyman as two penalty-killing anchors.

After signing Evander Kane for a deal well below what would normally be his market value and moving Zack Kassian’s contract out of the way, the Oilers suddenly have a forward group that looks a lot deeper than in years past.

More to come…

Ottawa Senators Acquire Cam Talbot

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The Minnesota Wild have officially traded goalie Cam Talbot to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for goalie Filip Gustavsson.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion gave a statement on the deal in a team release:

Cam is experienced and provides us with greater goaltending stability heading into next season. He was instrumental in helping Minnesota reach the playoffs in each of his two seasons with the Wild. The tandem of he and Anton Forsberg sets us up nicely for the upcoming year.

The trade is an important one financially for Minnesota. It’s a net cap hit decrease of $2.9MM, giving the Wild and general manager Bill Guerin some (small) flexibility heading into the opening of free agency tomorrow.

It was clear Talbot wasn’t happy with Minnesota’s decision to retain Marc-Andre Fleury on a two-year deal, and now he’ll get another job as a clear-cut 1A goalie (at worst) with the Senators. The Senators now have a more experienced and upgraded goalie tandem taking them into next season as they aim to make some noise in the Eastern Conference, essentially swapping out the oft-injured Matt Murray with Talbot for the cost of Gustavsson, a third-round pick, and a seventh-round pick. In 49 games with the Wild last year, the 35-year-old Talbot had a 32-12-4 record, three shutouts, 2.76 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.

The deal isn’t without on-ice merit for the Wild, either. Gustavsson is young and has decent upside, and while he doesn’t steal the “goalie of the future” tag claimed by Jesper Wallstedt, he fills the void in the organization left by Kaapo Kahkonen as a long-term tandem or backup option. Originally a second-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016, Gustavsson now finds himself with his third NHL organization by no fault of his own. He’s stepped in 27 games as a Senator over the past two years, maintaining a career 10-13-3 record and a .905 save percentage. Those numbers are bound to improve with increased development and more stout defense in the State of Hockey.

ESPN’s Kevin Weekes was the first to report Talbot heading to Ottawa.

Michael Del Zotto, Rudolfs Balcers To Be Bought Out

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In addition to Janne Kuokkanen and Oskar Lindblom, who were announced earlier today, two more players are on waivers today for the purpose of a buyout. The Ottawa Senators will buy out Michael Del Zotto, while the San Jose Sharks will be buying out Rudolfs Balcers, according to Chris Johnston of TSN.

For Del Zotto and the Senators, a buyout will result in a $500K cap penalty in 2022-23 and a $750K penalty in 2023-24, but saves the team some money and cap space for the upcoming season. It never really did work out for the veteran defensemen there, and after clearing waivers he ended up playing most of the 2021-22 season in the minor leagues.

He’ll now be a free agent, able to try and secure an NHL deal somewhere else, while still earning a $750K paycheck from the Senators for each of the next two years. Not a bad deal for the 32-year-old, who could be looking at his ninth NHL team, should he sign with someone other than the Senators, New York Rangers, Nashville Predators, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, or Columbus Blue Jackets.

Balcers meanwhile will be almost completely wiped off the books for San Jose, as his age means they are only on the hook for one-third of his remaining $1.85MM salary. For 2022-23, the Sharks will face a penalty of just $8,334 and in 2023-24, just $308,334. Those are certainly worthwhile prices to pay to clear his contract off the books as they look to other players for bottom-six contributions.

Toronto Maple Leafs Acquire Matt Murray

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In a trade that had been anticipated for a couple of days now, the Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired goaltender Matt Murray from the Ottawa Senators, both teams announced. Heading to Toronto as well will be a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft and a seventh-round pick in 2024. Ottawa is also retaining 25% of Murray’s salary. In exchange for Murray, Toronto will send “future considerations” to Ottawa. Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff was the first to report that an agreement was in place.

A Murray trade this offseason had almost seemed to be a given, with the question being when and to who. A deal that would send Murray to the Buffalo Sabres appeared to be in place last week until Murray declined via his no-trade clause. The deal now helps to alleviate some of the cap concerns Murray’s contract placed on the Senators, especially in the wake of acquiring Alex DeBrincat from the Chicago Blackhawks who carries a $6.4MM cap hit, but will be due at least a $9MM qualifying offer after next season, and perhaps more if Ottawa wants to keep the sniper long-term. Not only DeBrincat, but Ottawa has been rumored to be interested in playing the free agent market, and shedding even 75% of Murray’s $6.25MM cap hit over the next two seasons will make things easier on Ottawa.

For the Maple Leafs, this acquisition appears to put the Jack Campbell era in Toronto to a close, the team needing a goaltender under tight cap circumstances, absorbing a cap hit just under $4.69MM now. Campbell had been rumored to be asking for at least a $5MM AAV on his next contract, if not more, over four or five years. With the price seemingly too rich for the Maple Leafs, they opted to go for Murray, who has just two years left on his contract. For now, Murray projects to be the number one goaltender for the Maple Leafs, with Erik Kallgren and Joseph Woll behind him. Given Murray’s injury issues and recent struggles in net, Torotno will either have to rely on Kallgren and Woll as support, or may have to find themselves another goaltender either through trade or free agency.

Murray’s career has come a long way since his impeccable run to back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a rookie. After the Cups, Murray continued to impress in Pittsburgh, compiling a .913 save-percentage and 2.80 goals-against average in 99 games over the proceeding two seasons. But, the goaltender hit a wall in 2019-20, posting a subpar .899 save-percentage and 2.87 goals-against average before being traded to the Senators that offseason. Things, ultimately, got worse in Ottawa, Murray struggling to an .893 save-percentage and 3.38 goals-against average in 2020-21. Ottawa and Murray hoped for a fresh start in 2021-22, but injuries and poor play plagued him. The Senators would place Murray on waivers on November 27th, clearing the next day, and would not call him back up until December 28th. Murray would eventually head back to IR for the final time on March 6th, not playing another game for Ottawa. All told, the goaltender played just 20 games this season, though his numbers did improve slightly, with a .906 save-percentage and 3.05 goals-against average.

For the deal to work for Toronto, they will need Murray to rebound back to the player he was his first few seasons with the Penguins. Then, Murray was a budding star who not only won two Stanley Cups as a rookie, but did so usurping future Hall-of-Famer Marc-Andre Fleury in net. The impressive performance was so great, in fact, that when deciding which goaltender to protect ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2017 expansion draft, Pittsburgh opted to protect Murray, exposing, and losing, one of the best players in the franchise’s history. Gambling on Murray over Campbell, who represented the Maple Leafs at this year’s All Star Game, could pay dividends for Toronto, who likely saves significantly on contract term by going this route, but in order to do so, Murray will need to return to at least close to the player he was previously.

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