The Signing: Milan Michalek, LW, 29, re-signs with the Ottawa Senators
The Deal: Three years, $12 million
The Cap Hit: $4 million
Where he fits: As a left winger on one of the top two lines. With the loss of Jason Spezza, the Sens desperately needed to retain Michalek as a scoring presence. With Alex Chiasson coming over from Dallas in the Spezza deal, Michalek may have a new running mate on the right flank.
The Good: Michalek is a dependable two-way player who can be a real scoring threat at times, like when he bagged 35 goals in 2011-12. At six-foot-two and 225 lb., he’s also a big load who can win battles along the boards and in front of the net. Michalek will rarely wow you, but he’s also not a guy who lets the team down too often, either.
The Bad: Injuries. Since coming over in the trade that sent Dany Heatley to San Jose in 2009, Michalek has basically been fully healthy for just two of five seasons in Ottawa. He played 82 games this past season, but managed only 17 goals. With such an extensive history of getting hurt and his 30th birthday on the horizon, the fear is Michalek’s production may never spike back up to the 25-goal range. He can likely still help on offence, but is never going to be the straw that stirs the drink.
The Grade: B+. As mentioned, Sens GM Bryan Murray was basically backed into a corner on this one because it would have been tough to let an offensive player of any kind walk after being forced to trade Spezza. Michalek isn’t a huge difference-maker, but Ottawa had to retain him and did so at a very reasonable price.