Ottawa Senators re-sign Jacob Bernard-Docker on two-year contract
Ottawa Senators defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker will stay put in the capital city on a two-year contract, the team announced on Saturday.
Two more years of JBD!! 💪#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/wDlRWshpZJ
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) July 1, 2023The 23-year-old was Ottawa’s 26th overall selection in 2018 and is still getting his feet wet professionally. In 19 games for the Sens, Bernard-Docker averaged 16 minutes of ice time to go along with one assist and a -2 rating.
Ottawa will hope he can make strides in 2023-2024 for a team that conceded 270 goals, the 13th-worst scoring defense in the NHL.
The Senators had five NHL defensemen under contract before the signing after extending Erik Brannstrom on a one-year, $2 million deal earlier in the day.
Bernard-Docker spent most of his 2022-2023 season in the AHL with the Belleville Senators, for whom he played 41 games while scoring 2 goals and 6 points. If he is to establish himself as a full-time player, it will have to be as a shutdown blueliner; he has yet to post a productive offensive season in the pro ranks.
Ottawa holds onto the former first-rounder during a significant offseason for the team, who will again be coached by D.J. Smith next season.
The Senators have taken big swings in recent seasons on Claude Giroux, Alex DeBrincat, and Jakob Chycrun but have yet to return to the postseason for the first time since 2017. Worse yet, DeBrincat wants out and is unlikely to re-sign in Ottawa.
Ottawa will play their first season under the ownership of Michael Andlauer in 2023-2024, and productive hockey from Bernard-Docker, who partnered with Thomas Chiabot at times last season, would certainly help their chances in the Atlantic Division. He will make $785,000 this year and $825,000 in 2024-2025.