The Ottawa Senators stayed busy on Tuesday following the Jason Spezza trade, agreeing to a three-year, $12 million extension with UFA winger Milan Michalek.
Michalek, 29, rebounded from a serious knee injury to appear in all 82 games last year and steadily improve as the season progressed, finishing with 17 goals and 39 points. The Czech winger played some of his best hockey down the stretch, skating on a line with Spezza and Ales Hemsky while scoring 12 points over the final 19 games.
Of course, Spezza and Hemsky are no longer with the club.
Michalek just wrapped the final of a six-year, $26 million deal with a $4.33M annual cap hit, so he now gets half the term and slightly less money per year. That said, it’s worth noting he got a better (reported) deal than the one Ottawa offered Hemsky, believed to be a three-year, $10 million pact.