OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators signed forward Bobby Ryan to a $50.75 million, seven-year extension Thursday. The Senators also selected star defenseman Erik Karlsson as the ninth captain in franchise history.
The signing of Ryan solidifies the Senators lineup as they have Karlsson, Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur signed to long-term deals. The captain announcement came 15 years after Daniel Alfredsson started his long and successful run wearing the “C” in Ottawa. Karlsson takes over the leadership role from Jason Spezza, who was captain for just one year before being traded to the Dallas Stars this summer.
Ryan, who was acquired after Alfredsson chose to sign with Detroit as a free agent in the summer of 2013, has been a fan favorite from the start and says choosing to commit long-term was a “no brainer” for he and his fiancée.
“I love the city. I love the fans. Everybody has been so embracing and genuinely good-hearted hockey fans, and I like being surrounded by that and on top of that I think the team is on the uptake obviously,” he said. “Say what you want on the outside of things, but I think a lot of people in the room are very, very happy with where we’re at and where we’re going to be over the course of my next seven years, but ultimately overall.”
General manager Bryan Murray said it was always the organization’s intent to sign Ryan to a long-term extension and was pleased to get it done sooner rather than later to avoid it becoming a distraction.
“We had been talking to Bobby for quite some time,” Murray said. “He just wanted to take a little bit of time and make sure for him that he was comfortable where he fit here and obviously he is.”
Only Phil Kessel has more goals than Ryan among American players since 2008-09. Kessel has 192 goals through 434 games, while Ryan has 165 goals in 425 games.
Photo via Twitter/@Senators
