The Ottawa Senators announced today that they’ve signed forward Tim Stützle to an 8 year $66.8M contract extension.
The deal has an AAV of $8.35M and will see the native of Viersen, Germany paid $5M in 2023-24, $6.5M in 2024-25, $9M in 2025-26 & 2026-27, $10M in 2027-28 & 2028-29, $9.9M in 2029-30 and $74M in 2030-31.
Only 20 years old, Stützle set career highs in virtually every offensive category in 2021-22 finishing 2nd in team scoring with 58pts (22G, 36A). Selected 3rd overall in 2020, the talented forward has appeared internationally for Germany at several events including the IIHF World Juniors and IIHF World Championships.
“Reaching a long-term agreement with Tim represents another significant step forward for this organization,” said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. “Tim is a dynamic offensive player who utilizes an exceptional blend of speed and skill to be a consistent difference maker. He’s electrifying and has quickly become a fan favourite for good reason.”
Stützle was entering the final season of his entry level contract in 2022-23, and was set to become an RFA at season’s end. By locking him up early, Ottawa now has a key piece of their future in place through 2031.
After spending most of the first two years of his career with a revolving door of linemates, many pencilled Stützle in for a career year with recent additions Claude Giroux and Alex DeBrincat as his new linemates. By signing Stützle to a deal before the season, Dorion is banking on the AAV being a favourable one for the team down the line as the German forward continues to adapt to the NHL.
Also announced at the signing was that former Senators blue liner Chris Phillips would be returning to the organization in the role of Senior VP of Business Operations.
The Senators kick off their preseason against the Toronto Maple Leafs on September 24th.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Louri Goussev. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.