The Ottawa Senators Re-Sign Mika Zibanejad

The Ottawa Senators have re-signed forward Mika Zibanejad to a two-year contract extension, the team announced on Thursday.

BREAKING: The #Sens have agreed to terms with forward Mika Zibanejad on a two-year contract extension.

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) June 25, 2015

The Senators are one of the teams that has taken a leap toward transparency and shares contract details, so we have instant confirmation that the bridge deal carries an AAV of $2.625 million, with Zibanejad making $2 million in the first year and $3.25 million in the second year.

Zibanejad is coming off a three-year entry level deal that, with performance and signing bonuses considered, carried an AAV of $1,744,166, according to General Fanager. When his new contract is up, Zibanejad will still be a restricted free agent.

In his third full season, he put up career-highs in goals (20), assists (26), and points (46). Though, this was the first time he played all 82 games. His previous highs were set in a season where he played 69 games, yet he managed to outshoot his 82-game season that year by three, with his SF60 dropping from 32.5 last year to 29.7 this season. He also saw his CF%Rel drop this season, down to -0.8% from last year’s 1.8%.

Nonetheless, the steps back are slight and the 22-year-old center has a bright future on a young Senators team.