The Ottawa Senators will remain Chris Wideman's home for at least the next couple of NHL seasons, as the rookie defenseman came to terms on a two-year, one-way contract extension with the franchise on Wednesday. The deal carries an average annual value of $800,000 for both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. Wideman was playing out the 2015-16 season on a one-year, $600,000 contract.
Wideman has been a pleasant surprise for the Senators this season. Through 44 games, he has 5 goals and 9 points. He'd been called up by the Sens previously, but had never appeared in an NHL game.
The 26-year-old Wideman finally made the leap to the NHL after four years at Miami University (Ohio) and three seasons with the AHL's Binghamton Senators. During his final season with Binghamton, Wideman collected 61 points, the best total of any AHL defenseman, and reached the AHL All-Star Classic.
There was concern at the outset of the season that the glut of bodies along the blueline would result in Ottawa potentially losing the rights to a guy who finally seemed to be putting it all together, but the team and player were able to reach a consensus on a one-year deal at the same time as players like Chris Phillips and Eric Gryba cleared themselves off the Sens' backend.
Wideman will likely never be more than a bottom-pairing guy, but he's seemingly proven this season that he has what it takes to stick in the NHL for the time being.
