The Ottawa Senators took care of some business Monday morning.
The Senators signed defenceman Tyler Kleven to a two-year contract extension that will pay him $1.6 million US per season through the 2026-27 campaign.
Scheduled to become a restricted free agent, Kleven, 23, is coming off his first full season in the National Hockey League and emerged to play a solid role in the playoffs in the club’s first-round series on July 1.
Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, opted for a bridge deal with Kleven, which is the right move given his limited sample size in the NHL.
“Tyler continued to elevate his game in his first NHL season, which was a good sign,” said Staios. “We expect his game will continue to develop.”
That’s right, and there was no need to overpay Kleven by trying to lock him to a long-term extension. Instead, both sides can see where they stand two years from now.
More later …