Marc Methot signs 4-year deal with Senators, who did a good thing

Marc Methot was born in Ottawa. He’s a veteran defenseman still in his prime who actually plays defense, which is a novelty for the current incarnation of the Ottawa Senators.

So the idea the Senators would move him, or haggle him over a few hundred thousand dollars a season, was sorta nonsensical. The situation was remedied on Monday, as Methot and the Senators agreed on a new 4-year, $19.6-million deal. That’s a $4.9-million annual cap hit, and the contract includes a modified 10-team no-trade clause.

Methot was reportedly looking for $5 million to stay with the Senators, before going unrestricted this summer. Pierre LeBrun reported in October that Ottawa was offering $4.7 million. The Ottawa Sun reported last week the Sens were at $4.5 annually. So Ottawa went up a little more than Methot came down, and all is well and good.

Methot’s been a positive possession player in his three seasons in Ottawa, and as he’s reminded us since returning from injury, he’s a solid match with Erik Karlsson; and having a guy who’s good in his own end and can allow Karlsson to fly around the rink is a good thing. Especially when it’s proven he and Karlsson work well together.

Here’s The 6th Sens reaction:

Much has been made in the past about players taking less money and term to remain in town, but in Methot’s case, you would have a hard time finding someone who doesn’t think that he could have found a better deal on the open market – a place where a 33-year old defencemen in Brooks Orpik signed a five-year deal worth $27.5-million ($5.5-million AAV) last summer.

At 29-years old, Methot is not only younger, but he’s a better player. To get a top four defenceman under that $5-million AAV benchmark without an escalating real dollar salary is incredible, and as a defensive defenceman, the importance in not getting handcuffed to a lengthy five or six-year term for an aging (and likely declining) player cannot be understated – especially if Methot’s back/hip injury resurfaces at some point. It’s a massive hometown deal.

From Silver Seven and Amelia:

I'm actually a little surprised to see this deal come in with an AAV under $5 million given the off-season signing of Brooks Orpik and the recent extension to Marc Staal. The modified NTC is not surprising at all, as these things are pretty much a given for UFAs these days, but great that the organization was upfront about it. It looks like in the end Methot was willing to take a bit of a hometown discount to stay in Ottawa, a smart move given that this provides him with contract security after a season marred by injury. It's a good deal for the Senators too, who secure a top-4 defenseman for below market value. Keeping the deal to four years let's the team and player re-evaluate before his play seriously declines.

The argument against the deal is that Methot will be 33 at its end and that his trade value is highest now – and as we saw with the Cody Franson deal, the bidding for capable blue liners will be considerable at the deadline.

The usual harangues about contract value will be echoing – HE MAKES MORE THAN RYAN MCDONAGH AND KEVIN BIEKSA!!! – but all contracts are local and no one seems to understand that if Orpik got what he got, Methot gets that or higher next summer.

Cutting ties with Methot would seem to create a problem where there isn’t one for an already thin blue line. Good deal, this one.

MORE FROM YAHOO HOCKEY