The Ottawa Senators and C Chris Tierney have agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension
The deal has a $3.5m AAV, which will pay the Keswick, Ontario native $2.8m in the first year, and $4.2m in the second year. Since joining the Senators from the San Jose Sharks in the Erik Karlsson trade, Tierney has posted 20 goals and 65 assists in 152 games.
Contrary to the Connor Brown case, few leaks have come from this negotiation between the Senators and Tierney, so the announcement this morning was a welcome surprise to Senators fans. EvolvingWild Hockey had previously projected a contract of 4 years with a $4.3m average. However, given the upward trajectory of the Senators, locking in Tierney on this shorter-term deal makes more sense.
Both sides now avoid an arbitration hearing, that was originally scheduled to take place on November 8th. The Senators now have two remaining RFAs in need of a contract; LW/C Filip Chlapik, as well as D Christian Jaros, who is set for arbitration on November 7th.
Since arriving in the nation’s capital, Tierney has seen a steady increase in both usage and production. He’s been an extremely useful middle-six centre that certainly isn’t a reliable goal scorer, but is a consistent playmaker. He enjoyed a career-best year in 2018-19, where he posted 9 goals and 39 assists while averaging over 17 minutes of ice-time per game.
The bottom right corner is the most interesting part here, but it's also worth mentioning that Tierney is the Senators' least-involved top six forward in transition. pic.twitter.com/JRqY2PyTXR
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) October 26, 2020
At 26 years of age, Chris Tierney has likely reached his ceiling as a solid third-line player, that can move up into the lineup for shorter periods of time. He has garnered a solid league-wide reputation due to his reliability, while most importantly earning the trust of D.J Smith and the Ottawa Senators coaching staff.
For at least the duration of this deal, expectations of the Ottawa Senators and their younger core of players will still remain relatively low, so keeping a predictable and productive talent like Tierney in the fold makes sense. Though with players like Josh Norris, Logan Brown and Shane Pinto among others likely to compete for second and third-line minutes in the next couple of seasons, it’s completely possible that the Tierney becomes an expendable asset.
Having him under contract at a reasonable rate could make him a desirable asset for playoff contenders, or even further ahead for the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. Either way, this short term deal gives Ottawa plenty of time and options to see where exactly Tierney fits in.
In the meantime, Ottawa maintains hold of a trusted player that they will continue to rely on for the next couple of years in all situations. Above all though, it gives Pierre Dorion yet another layer of flexibility as he attempts to shape the future of this team.