Maybe this time Anton Forsberg won’t have to move. The Ottawa Senators have signed the journeyman goaltender to a one-year contract extension for the 2021-22 season. The deal will carry a salary of $900K, giving the team a veteran backup at the position. Senators GM Pierre Dorion released a short statement on the move:
Anton’s addition has been a steadying one for us this season. He possesses a calm and controlled playing style, has good size and ability, is a tireless worker with good habits and is a good teammate. He’s worked hard in practice to earn his playing opportunities and this contract extension.
While deals like this are usually due to expansion draft considerations, that doesn’t appear to be the case for Ottawa. The team already had four goaltenders that meet the exposure requirements, meaning they can pick and choose which one to protect from the Seattle Kraken. They very well could lose one of their young netminders though, meaning Forsberg’s presence could be all the more valuable next season.
Originally signed by the Edmonton Oilers in October to a one-year, $700K deal, Forsberg’s season quickly went off the rails as teams tried to slip him through waivers. He was claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes on January 12, by the Winnipeg Jets on January 15, and then finally by the Senators on March 17. By the time he got to Ottawa he had spent more time in quarantine than on the ice but gave the team some solid performances. In six NHL games this season he registered a .910 save percentage, good enough to earn this extension.
Of course, if the Senators want to send Forsberg to the minor leagues next season he’ll have to clear waivers once again.
I read that Filip Gustavsson is not exempt (though I am not sure why, seems like he should be) and would require protection.
If so, there is a legit chance they could protect him and expose Matt Murray (I would) and…if that happened and Seattle took him, both of our goalies from the back to back Cups would end up as season one starters for expansion teams. Which seems odd.
If they planned to keep Murray, signing Forsberg when they have all of these young goalies wouldn’t make sense.
If they plan on losing Murray, it would.
Even past Gustavsson, Joey Daccord who the organization likes very much is also not exempt. It is one of the more intriguing expansion storylines to watch, I think.
I read an article somewhere that Ottawa plus leaning towards exposing Murray because they don’t think Seattle will take the contract.
And that lets them keep another younger guy
@Gavin – After looking at the Expansion Draft FAQ on CapFriendly, it left me feeling like critical info was missing on Daccord, for instance. On the Expansion Draft FAQ they state that “All players who have accrued two or less professional seasons at the end of the 2020-21 season, as well as all unsigned draft choices appearing on the teams reserve list, will be exempt from the upcoming expansion draft.” This would seem to apply to Joey. But, on the Expansion Draft Simulator, he is (seemlingly) exposed, which seems like a conflict of information. Surely they don’t see two dis-contiguous years of play as translating to him being seen as a three-year pro, do they? Or, is it his age? Or is it simply because he’s under contract for 2020-2021? (This is one of the reasons I’d rather read tech stuff than legalese and CBA-ese.)
Because of his age when he signed (and played) in 2018, the 2018-19 season counts as a professional year for Daccord. Minor league seasons also count*, so yes, three-year pro for Joey.
*in most cases
@Gavin – Thanks for saving me from the extra homework! :)
It’s fairly straight forward. Players on ELCs are exempt. Gustavsson’s ELC expires July 1st therefore he is eligible to be selected in the expansion draft. Daccord is not on an ELC but a standard two-way deal meaning regardless of service time (which he’s already accrued anyways) he’s also eligible for the expansion draft.
I should add although Daccord has technically played 3 seasons. He played 1 game for Ottawa in the 18-19 season so that actually counts as a season.
Also, Matt is the wrong type of goalie for an expansion team. MAF was the perfect type.