Michael Amadio’s next contract conversation is getting closer, and the Senators winger has already made a change that could shape it. With his current deal set to expire on July 1, Amadio has tapped agent Andy Scott as extension talks loom.
No formal discussions have happened yet between Senators general manager Steve Staios and Scott, but that’s expected to change in the coming weeks. For now, Amadio remains in a spot that suits him well in Ottawa, where coach Travis Green has given him a role that lets him impact the game at both ends of the ice.
“There was a lot of factors that went into the decision,” Amadio said, while noting it was a move he talked over with his family.
Amadio arrived for Thursday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche at Canadian Tire Centre with six goals and 11 points in 19 games this season. He’s coming off a career year in which he scored 20 goals and finished with 35 points in 81 games.
His value goes beyond the scoresheet. Amadio is a penalty killer, and with the Senators sitting 31st in the NHL on the power play, there’s at least a case to be made for giving him a look there too.
“I don’t want to think about it too much,” Amadio said on Wednesday. “I want to go out there and play hockey and let the rest take care of itself.”
The bigger financial picture also matters here. The salary cap is on the rise, and players are in position to benefit when negotiations start. Ottawa already locked up winger Drake Batherson during training camp on an eight-year deal worth $10.75 million per season, and Staios would like to keep this group together.
Next season’s cap is projected to jump by $9.5 million to $113.5 million, which works out to $168 million in Canadian coinage at Thursday’s exchange rate.
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Senators Get The Boost They Needed In Wild Comeback Win
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The result mattered beyond the two points because it came with a reminder of how thin the margin can be in the NHL. Colorado was already dealing with the absence of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar in the third period, while Ottawa now has to navigate the next stretch without winger Nick Cousins for at least a week. For a team trying to build on a comeback like this, the next test is whether it can keep that edge while patching another hole in the lineup. [Read more 🡒]