Ottawa Senators bring back Nick Paul on a one-year deal
The Ottawa Senators have re-signed promising forward Nick Paul to a one-year, two-way contract as the dust begins to settle after July 1st.
A lot of change took place for the Ottawa Senators on the first day of free agency, with a number of new faces joining the club while others departed.
It didn’t take the team too long to re-focus on players still with the organisation but needing new contracts to stick around longer.
Nick Paul has spent the past four seasons developing his game with the organisation’s AHL affiliates, both in Binghamton and Belleville.
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In 214 regular season appearances in the minors, Paul has registered 51 goals and 120 total points.
His points-per-game ratio has improved across those four seasons, with Paul earning 39 points (16 goals, 23 assists) in just 43 games with the Belleville Senators in 2018/19.
Paul’s performances, along with the new direction the Ottawa club was beginning to take, saw him make 20 appearances in the regular season with the NHL club.
Registering just one goal and a further assist is not something that inspires much hope in a fanbase, but Paul’s development in the AHL could see him stake a claim as a bottom-six forward on the NHL roster at some point next season.
Signing a two-way deal sees his salary drop significantly depending on whether he is playing in the minors or not.
If he features in the NHL, Paul will hold a cap hit of $750,000 whereas a drop back down to Belleville will see the Mississauga native earning $165,000.
The 24-year-old winger has good size at 6-foot-4, 229lbs and could be worth an extended look if he steps up during training camp this summer.
The former fourth-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2013 must begin to take the next steps in his development if he hopes to stick around in the NHL and this one-year deal essentially gives him another opportunity to prove to the organisation that he can be their guy.
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What do you think Sens fans? Are you pleased with the deals the team has negotiated recently? What do you think could happen with the likes of Colin White? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!