The Ottawa Senators and Connor Brown used just about all the time available to them, but were able to reach an agreement today and avoid an uncomfortable arbitration hearing. The three-year deal, which carries an average annual value of $3.6M, is a fantastic deal for the Senators as they enter the next stage of their rebuild:
News Release: The #Sens have announced the signing of forward Connor Brown to a three-year contract: https://t.co/pn5sfTgWOd pic.twitter.com/wse6k4MX44
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) October 22, 2020
Connor Brown, signed 3x$3.6 by OTT, is a defence-first forward who did quite well in his first season with the Senators playing very tough minutes. #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/N7W8SguOve
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) October 22, 2020
For Brown, it also presents a nice raise from the $2.1M he was making last season, with opportunity over the next three years to play a prominent offensive role that will see him drive his value up even higher in time for his next contract. If he can match the defensive prowess he's been known for with some of the offence he showed flashes of this past season, he'll be in a prime spot three seasons from now.
With this signing, the Senators now find themselves comfortably above the salary cap floor despite a much smaller actual cash spend number on the books. It will be interesting to see whether Pierre Dorion makes any additional moves prior to the 2020-21 campaign getting started.
As always, thanks for reading.