Senators re-sign Matthew Highmore to one-year, two-way contract

The Ottawa Senators re-signed forward Matthew Highmore to a one-year, two-way contract, according to PuckPedia.

The deal is reportedly worth $775,000 in the NHL and $400,000 in the AHL.

Last season, the undrafted Highmore split his time between the Senators and their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. In Ottawa, he recorded two assists in seven games, and in Belleville, he scored nine goals and 22 assists for 31 points in 43 games.

In six NHL seasons, Highmore has 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points in 146 career NHL games with the Senators, the St. Louis Blues, Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks.

Through five AHL seasons, Highmore has 59 goals and 97 assists for 156 points in 208 career games with the Senators, Rockford IceHogs and Springfield Thunderbirds.

As a 21-year-old, after leading the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs in assists (55) and points (89), helping them win a league championship and a Memorial Cup appearance, Highmore signed a three-year, entry-level deal with the Blackhawks.

He started the 2017-18 campaign with the Blackhawks’ AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, and in his first full season with the minor-league club, scored 24 goals and 19 assists for 43 points in 64 games. After a few stints with the Blackhawks, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, spending parts of two seasons with the club before they declined to give him a qualifying offer, letting him become an unrestricted free agent.

After signing a one-year, two-way deal with the Blues ahead of the 2022-23 season, where with the Thunderbirds, he scored 19 goals and 42 assists for 61 points in 68 games, his most productive professional season. For his effots, he would be named to the 2023 AHL All-Star Game.

The Senators finished 37-41-4 with 78 points last season, seventh in the Atlantic Division.