Senators sign Adam Gaudette to one-year, two-way contract

A familiar face is returning to the Canadian capital.

On Tuesday, the Ottawa Senators announced they had signed forward Adam Gaudette to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal carries a $775,000 cap hit through the 2024-25 season, with a $450,000 minor-league salary.

It is the second time in the last four seasons that Gaudette has been with the organization, and the fifth straight year that the Braintree, Massachusetts native is on a one-year deal. His only multi-year contract was his entry-level deal with the Vancouver Canucks.

Gaudette was traded by the Chicago Blackhawks to the Senators early in the 2021-22 campaign. He ended up playing 50 games with Ottawa, scoring four goals and eight assists. He then signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs in July 2022, but was moved to the St. Louis Blues a few months later in the deal that saw the Maple Leafs acquire Ryan O’Reilly.

Gaudette stayed with the Blues through last season, playing just two games with St. Louis and most of the time with its American Hockey League affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. In 67 games with the Thunderbirds, the 27-year-old scored 44 goals and 27 assists for 71 points, all of which are career highs.

Gaudette has played in 220 NHL games, scoring 27 goals and 43 assists, playing in 10 playoff games with the Canucks during the 2020 postseason.

In 148 AHL appearances, Gaudette has registered 77 goals and 57 assists, scoring a goal in two Calder Cup Playoff games.

Gaudette, a former Northeastern Husky, was originally taken in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Draft by Vancouver.

With the signing, the Senators have 43 players under standard player contracts for next season. According to CapFriendly, Ottawa has over $4.4 million in projected cap space.