Tuesday: The team has officially announced the deal as a two-year, two-way contract that will pay DiDomenico the prorated version of $575K/$150K for the rest of this season, and $650K/$190K for 2017-18. The forward will go on waivers today.
Monday 8:21am: The Ottawa Senators have looked outside the NHL for some help up front. The team completed a one-year deal with forward Chris DiDomenico today, according to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet. Johnston reports that it is a one-way deal for the remainder of the 2016-17 season.
DiDomenico had been playing with the Langau Tigers of the NLA (Switzerland) where he had 38 points in 48 games. You’re forgiven if you don’t remember DiDomenico from his brief stint in the AHL after originally being selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sixth round of the 2007 draft. After being traded to Chicago as part of the package that brought Kris Versteeg to Toronto, DiDomenico played 74 games over two seasons with the Rockford IceHogs but never found his way.
After a short stint in the ECHL, DiDomenico headed to Italy where he dominated the professional leagues before moving on to Switzerland. Working his way up through the system there, he has spent the last two seasons at the highest level and has been quite successful.
Once thought of as too small for the NHL, DiDomenico may have been unfairly judged because of his thin frame. Though he is by no means an intimidating center, he does have strong faceoff skills and at one point was thought of as an excellent penalty killer. We’ll see in what capacity the Senators use him this season, but perhaps he’s made the decision to come back to North America full-time. At just 28, he surely still has something to offer.
He great in the World Juniors 7 years ago…
he was phenomenal. hope he plays with the sens, we need help badly. see what he can do!