The future is here.
This afternoon, the Ottawa Senators announced they have signed Tim Stuetzle to an entry-level contract.
The deal is three years in length with a cap hit of $925,000. It includes $2.5 mil in performance bonuses in each season of the contract.
The 3rd overall pick in the 2020 Entry Draft, Stuetzle is expected to step directly into the Ottawa line up when the season gets underway in a few weeks.
And if you’ve watched either of his performances at the World Juniors, it’s pretty clear that he’s ready.
What has really jumped out in those two games is that while skill and speed are going to be his calling cards, there is a physical edge and mean streak there that has been massively undersold in the hype around Stuetzle.
Germany is a huge underdog at the World Juniors and for Stuetzle, it’s nothing more than an NHL tune up. While it would be pretty easy for him to coast through these games, he has done the exact opposite. Even in a rout against Canada the other night, he refused to back down and refused to take a shift off.
It’s rare to find that kind of drive with his skill set.
According to Bruce Garrioch, the Senators secured Stuetzle’s release from the team in Manaheim earlier today making the ELC mostly a formality. While there had been some hand-wringing among some fans about the delay in getting this done, the Senators wanted to see a clear plan in place from the NHL first.
Stuetzle has at least two more games scheduled with Team Germany at the World Juniors and then will join the Senators at Training Camp early next month.
