Fredrik Claesson signed to one-year, two-way contract

The Ottawa Senators have re-upped defenceman Fredrik Claesson. The contract is for one year, and is a two-way contract, paying $700,000 in the NHL and $100,000 in the AHL. The signing is important for the Sens, because there were rumours about Claesson heading back to Sweden if he wasn’t given a real NHL shot.

The 23-year-old Claesson was a 5th-round pick (126th overall) of the Sens’ famous 2011 entry draft, from which eight out of ten picks have already played in the NHL. Last season, Claesson put up 10 points in 55 games in the AHL, and two points in 16 NHL games, his first taste of big-league action. Overall, he has 276 games of AHL experience, putting up 69 points while evolving into top-pairing minutes and playing on the top PK.

Last season, he was mostly played with Erik Karlsson to insulate him as he adjusted to life in the NHL. However, with the Sens not signing a bottom-pairing defenceman in free agency, look for Claesson to compete with Mark Borowiecki, Chris Wideman, and possibly Thomas Chabot for a bottom-pairing spot this season. It’s possible Pierre Dorion decided that whatever he could have got in free agency, he could have got for cheaper by re-signing his own player.

The signing leaves Matt Puempel, Mike Hoffman, and Cody Ceci as the team’s only remaining RFAs.