The Ottawa Senators have made another minor move in free agency adding a veteran to the team’s blueline.
This morning, the team announced they have signed defenceman Johnny Oduya to a one year deal worth $1 million. The contract has games played, time-on-ice and playoff bonuses that could add up to another $1,250,000 to the one million guarantee.
The five $250K bonuses: top 5 in TOI for d-men, top 3 for TOI for d-men, play in 41 games, play in 65 games and qualify for the playoffs.
— Sens communications (@Media_Sens) July 24, 2017
UPDATE: Johnny Oduya’s new deal with the #Sens also includes a Limited NTC in which he can provide the club with a 10 team ‘No Trade’ list. https://t.co/ZzSfcUBWpA
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) July 25, 2017
Oduya gives the Senators another option on the blueline which was looking a little bit thin and extremely young heading into next season.
He’s a left shot and a strong skater so I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of him seeing some time with Erik Karlsson at some point. The signing of Oduya means it will be a little more difficult for guys like Thomas Chabot and Ben Harpur to crack the roster but that seems like a better option than assuming they can both play regular minutes right off the bat.
Because Oduya is on a short-term deal and is extremely affordable, he gives the team a little bit more depth but doesn’t really hurt their flexibility on the back end.
Oduya finished last season with the Chicago Blackhawks following a mid-season trade from the Dallas Stars. The Stockholm, Sweden native has played 798 games in the NHL and is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion.
