Senators sign Colin White to six-year deal

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The Ottawa Senators announced on Wednesday that they've signed standout forward Colin White to a new six-year deal, worth an average annual value of $4.75 million.

"I truly believe in Ottawa and what we have as a young group there, I think our staff does and everyone around Ottawa does," White said in a conference call after signing his new deal. "I think it was the right move for both myself and Ottawa and I couldn’t be more excited and proud to be a Senator for the next six years."

White appeared in 71 games for the Senators last season, recording 14 goals and 41 points; five of those goals were on the power play. The 22-year-old finished 11th for the Calder Trophy and posted top-10 stats in goals (seventh), points (fifth) and assists (third) among rookies. Although the sample size prior to last season was small (23 games), he also made strides in the face-off circle, bolstering his win percentage 14 percentage points to 47% in 2018-19.

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“We’ve identified Colin as one of our core young players who will help drive our team’s success in both the short and long term,” said general manager Pierre Dorion in a team press release. “Colin plays the 200-foot game that is so coveted in today’s NHL. He can skate, play on both special teams and is a character player and leader who loves hockey and this city. While he is coming off a season where he finished among rookie leaders in many categories, we also know he is just scratching the surface of his potential in this league. We’re very happy that Colin will be a Senator for the next six years.”

Known for his prowess in the defensive zone, the question remains whether White can produce offensively. Prior to the February trade deadline, he was slotted on a line with Mark Stone; once Stone was traded to Vegas, White's production plummeted as he only scored one goal and eight assists in 15 games. 

"What we like about him so much is his versatility," Dorion said. "I think we know for a fact that D.J. [Smith] likes the way he plays the 200-foot game and his commitment to play defense in our own end. Our centers are going to have to be really committed to being down low in our own end and that Colin does that very well, but we look at it as a plus; he can be a center or a winger. But from speaking with D.J., I think he’s definitely going to try him out at center and see how he does there."

Spending the majority of last season at center, especially toward the end, White said he expects to remain at that position heading into camp.

Ottawa hired D.J. Smith as their new head coach this offseason. He came over from Toronto where he spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach for the Maple Leafs. "He seems like a really great guy," White said about Smith. "Even before I had spoken to him, guys around the league, guys in Toronto had told me how great of a coach he is. I think it’s exciting to have that new energy in our locker room and I think a lot of us are looking forward to it."

White was selected with the 21st pick in the first round of the 2015 NHL Draft. Earlier that round, Ottawa drafted All-Star defenseman Thomas Chabot with the 18th pick. A native of Boston, the 6-0, 183-pound center put up 35 goals and 76 points in his two-year, 72-game career at Boston College.

As a member of Team USA, he won a gold medal at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship with a team-high seven goals in seven games. 

 

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