Senators F Dzingel agrees to two-year contract

The Ottawa Senators and forward Ryan Dzingel agreed to a two-year contract on Friday with an average annual value of $1.8 million.

Dzingel, who was a restricted free agent, avoided a salary arbitration hearing in Toronto on Friday morning. He will be paid $1.5 million this season and $2.1 million in 2018-19.

Dzingel, 25, recorded 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in 81 games with the Senators in 2016-17, his first full NHL season. He also had two goals and one assist in 15 games during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"First of all, we're really happy," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion told the team's website. "Ryan has shown through the course of his first full season with us that he was an important member of our team. Getting this done on a two-year contract brings security. He probably feels that he gave up money if he produces at the same level on the second year and we probably got a bargain on the first year.

"If we went to arbitration, we were afraid the ruling would be closer to their number than our number. Now we get a happy player that will produce for us for the next two years and someone who has shown with his speed, talent and hopefully he can convert on a few more breakaways that we'll have a pretty special player."

A seventh-round pick in the 2011 NHL draft, Dzingel owns 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 111 NHL games, all with the Senators.

Senators sign forward Ryan Dzingel to a one-year, two-way contract

OTTAWA – The Ottawa Senators (@Senators) announced today that the club has signed forward Ryan Dzingel to a one-year, two-way contract. The contract will carry an annual value of $750,000 in the National Hockey League and $72,500 in the American Hockey League.

Dzingel, 24, appeared in 44 games for the B-Sens last season, setting new professional career highs in assists (24) and points (36), while adding 12 goals. A native of Wheaton, Ill., Dzingel was recalled to Ottawa for the first time on Dec. 21 and made his NHL debut the next evening at Florida (2-1 SO loss).

Dzingel went on to play 30 NHL games with the Senators, where he registered nine points (three goals, six assists) and 11 penalty minutes. He scored his first NHL goal on Feb. 16 vs. Buffalo (2-1 SO win).

Drafted by the Senators with their second seventh-round pick (204th overall) in the 2011 NHL Draft, Dzingel spent three seasons with the Big Ten Conference’s Ohio State Buckeyes before being signed to an entry-level contract on April 2, 2014.

Senators Release.