Nick Paul Signs Two-Year Extension With Ottawa
The 25 year-old made good on his prove-it deal
Avoiding arbitration, the Ottawa Senators have signed forward Nick Paul to a two-year contract extension.
Nick Paul has Agreed to a two year deal at 1.35 per year #Sens
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) October 14, 2020
As first reported by the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, the deal will carry an AAV of $1.35M, with Paul earning $1.2M this season, and $1.5M next.
The extension comes after a “prove-it” season for the 25 year-old forward. He showed flashes of full-time NHL capability in 2018-2019, and was signed to a one-year deal that summer. Paul came into his own this season in D.J. Smith’s system, hitting career-highs across the board with nine goals and 11 assists for 20 points in 56 games.
Paul - who is now the second-longest serving member of the Senators - arrived in Ottawa during the summer of 2014, as part of the package received from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Jason Spezza. Getting set for his first full season in Ottawa, the contract surely comes as a relief for a young player that had struggled to find a permanent home in the NHL.
It seemed like Paul’s return was all but guaranteed when he was one of the player’s modelling the Senators’ new jerseys prior to the draft, despite not having a new deal in place at the time.
With him re-signed, the Senators now have eight roster forwards under contract. New deals are still needed for Connor Brown, Chris Tierney, Christian Jaros, Rudolfs Balcers, Filip Chlapik, and Joey Daccord.
Like Paul did before getting his new deal; Brown, Jaros, and Tierney have all filed for arbitration. Their hearings are scheduled for October 20th, November 7th, and November 8th, respectively.