This morning, the Ottawa Senators announced that they have signed winger Bobby Ryan to a 7 year, $50.75M contract extension, that will kick in next season after his current contract expires. The move pre-empts Ryan's potential unrestricted free agency next July.
Now the Senators will retain a player who should be the cornerstone of the forward ranks for years to come. It also means that the Senators must have sold him enough on what his role will be that he felt comfortable in making the commitment to stay.
The best thing to come out of this signing is that we can stop tiptoeing around every time something happens on the ice that could get Ryan's nose out of joint. There is no more wondering if him not getting a certain role at any given time will result in him bailing. Now there will be no distractions, no constant speculation about whether he'll be traded or extended.
Wait.... there's more. In addition to the Ryan extension, the Senators announced that Erik Karlsson will be the team's new captain.
Karlsson is by far the best player on the ice, and is now the leader of the franchise. Hopefully, this arrangement will provide stability, as Karlsson becomes the third player in 3 years to wear the "C".