Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
The Ottawa Senators can check a key task off their list ahead of the holidays, signing defenseman Artem Zub for four more years.
The 27-year-old defenseman’s contract extension carries a $4.6-million cap hit and includes a 10-team no-trade list.
Zub joined the Senators for the 2020-21 season as an undrafted free agent after having a breakout season in the KHL. Since then, he went from a depth signing to a key player in Ottawa’s defense corps.
“Artem’s transition to North American hockey has been remarkable,” Senators GM Pierre Dorion said in a release Wednesday morning. “He has worked hard to establish himself as an excellent NHL player and a strong defender.”
In three seasons and 142 games with the Senators so far, the Khabarovsk, Rus. native has 11 goals and 29 assists for 40 points. He also has a plus-4 rating, which is the highest among Senators with at least 50 games for the team since 2020-21 considering the nightmarish goal differential during a rebuild.
In 14 games this season, Zub has 52 hits and four points, including a goal in the home opener against the Boston Bruins where he reaffirmed his status as a fan favorite.
He’s been sidelined since suffering a jaw injury against the New York Rangers on Dec. 2.
Zub is one of Ottawa’s most reliable defensemen, averaging 22 minutes per game. The right-handed D-man was mainly on the top pair with Thomas Chabot before his injury so Chabot could chip in more offensively.
Ottawa now has five defensemen currently on its NHL roster under contract for next season – Chabot, Zub, Jake Sanderson, Nikita Zaitsev and call-up Dillion Heatherington. Travis Hamonic and Nick Holden are unrestricted free agents after this year while Erik Brannstrom and Jacob Bernard-Docker are pending RFAs.
The Senators also have forwards Alex DeBrincat and Shane Pinto who turn into RFAs after this season and will both expect a raise from their current $6.4 million and $925,000 cap hits, respectively. Cap Friendly notes the Sens have a projected $16.4 million in cap space for next year.
On a blueline where Ottawa’s been looking to improve, securing Zub for four more years is a solid start.
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