Senators extend Smith’s contract
Forward gets four-year deal worth US$13M
Zack Smith decided to stay put and sign on the dotted line.
The Senators’ centre agreed to a new four-year, US$13-million contract extension with Ottawa on Monday.
Scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, Smith will make US$3.25 million per season on the new contract.
Both sides couldn’t have been happier to get this done and it’s a big raise for Smith, who’s making US$1.875 million this season.
“It’s a pretty great feeling. It’s something we’ve been talking about for a little while here,” Smith said on a conference call.
“It’s an exciting time. It’s hard to kind of grasp right now. It all happened pretty quick this afternoon.
“What else can you say besides I’m very happy to get this done and I look forward to the future of being in Ottawa a few more years.”
Senators GM Pierre Dorion and Smith’s agent Allain Roy sat down for a face-to-face meeting last week in St. Louis but they’ve been talking since July 1.
The Senators have always wanted to keep Smith in the fold but they wanted to make sure he was the right fit for coach Guy Boucher and his staff. If he wasn’t going to be used the right way, it may have been in the best interests of both sides to move on.
But Smith is a player who has grown up in the Ottawa organization. He was drafted by the Senators in the third round in 2008, won a Calder Cup in Binghamton in 2011 and has developed into a big part of this team.
Dorion was thrilled to get the deal done.
“When Zack kept on producing and had a big role in helping us win, we started negotiating in October,” Dorion said. “Both parties had to be happy and today we came to an agreement and I think both sides are very happy.
“It shows our fans, when you groom a player, someone who has won a Calder Cup with us, who’s an important part of us winning in the minors ... he’s a high-character player, he’s so respected in that room. It shows our commitment to making a strong playoff push this year and to winning in further years.” Dorion said Smith is a perfect fit. “Everyone is happy about this,” he said. “The happiest person after Zack could be (Boucher). He has a lot of respect for Zack. He sees Zack as a crucial part of our hockey team moving forward. We all feel that Zack is a big piece of our team and a core piece of our team.”
Both sides wanted to have a deal in place before the March 1 trade deadline. If Smith wasn’t signed, the Sens would have had to consider the possibility of losing an asset and getting nothing in return.
Smith didn’t want the stress of going through that situation.
“There’s always uncertainty going to free agency and that wasn’t really in my plans at any point,” Smith said.
“I want to play here. I love Ottawa. I love the city. The biggest selling point is probably the direction the team is going coming in with the new coaching staff and new players.
“For me, that was probably the biggest selling point. To have a competitive team and to show we can play and beat the best teams in the league.”