The Ottawa Senators have inked a prospect just ahead of the deadline today, signing Viktor Lodin to a two-year entry-level contract. Lodin would have become an unrestricted free agent later this afternoon had he not signed, but the Senators obviously convinced him to join the organization. Ottawa GM Pierre Dorion released a statement:
Viktor gained significant professional experience by playing an integral role in Timra’s championship win last season. A bit of a late bloomer in that he was drafted as a 19-year-old, he’s a big forward who can play either centre or wing and possesses high-end skill with a raw ability to score.
Lodin, 21, was the 94th overall selection in 2019, picked out of the SHL. There were high hopes given his place at the highest level in Sweden as a teenager, but things didn’t go quite as smoothly in his post-draft season and he ended up spending half the year in the Allsvenskan (second tier). This year he was back there with Timra, but his offense exploded with 40 points in 47 games, helping the club secure promotion once again. If that kind of breakout can be maintained, the Senators have added another forward prospect to a system that is overflowing at this point.
In fact, the team already has 34 contracts signed for next season with 14 pending restricted free agents on the books. If all of them are retained, the team is coming awfully close to the 50-contract limit already. With that in mind, Ottawa will become an interesting team to watch navigate the offseason as they try to improve the young core they’ve built and start to compete for the playoffs.