Ottawa Senators sign young forward Colin White to six-year deal
The Ottawa Senators are betting on Colin White improving, as they’ve signed the promising young forward to a six-year deal worth $28.5 million.
It’s been a fairly uneventful offseason for the Ottawa Senators. They didn’t have too much to do, but on top of their to-do list was signing restricted free agent forward Colin White. It took them longer than expected, but the Senators can cross it off their list.
The team has announced White has signed a six-year deal worth $28.5 million. This deal is worth $4.75 million per season. White is still waivers exempt, but he made a terrific impression on the Senators last season.
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
During the 2018-19 season, he put up 41 points, including 14 goals, in 71 games. White finished 11th in the Calder Trophy voting in his first full season in the NHL. He appeared in two games for the Senators during the 2016-17 season and 21 games for them during the 2017-18 season.
$4.75 million per year for six years is a very good deal for the Senators. White was one of their top forwards last season. With the departures of Mark Stone, Ryan Dzingel, Matt Duchene, and others, he should get even more playing time in 2018-19.
White will probably enter the 2019-20 season penciled in as the Senators second-line center, though the top center position is within reach for him. He could compete for that role with incumbent Chris Tierney and Jean Gabriel-Pageau.
His deal could prove to be a nice bargain in a few years if he continues to improve. White is currently tied for the 55th-highest-paid center in the NHL. Among all forwards, he’s tied for 125th with Alex Tuch, Vincent Trocheck, Martin Hanzal, and Carl Soderberg.
White posted strong underlying numbers last season. However, his possession numbers dropped off noticeably away from Mark Stone. White will most likely have Brady Tkachuk on his wing, which should help him significantly. However, he must prove he’s the center of the future for the Senators.
He was also a huge bright spot on the team. White did well after the trade deadline, posting eight points in his last 13 games. He only scored one goal after the start of March, but he did post seven assists. The Senators are hoping White continues to grow as a player. Goal scoring should be next on his list of things to improve.
Next. Top 5 Senators To Get Excited For in 2019. dark
Ottawa is slowly starting to build a core of young players. This is a good sign for their rebuild, as they’ll need as many players like White as possible. The Senators haven’t done a lot of good things lately, but this is a step in the right direction.