Sens lock up goaltending prospect to unconventional multi-year deal
The Ottawa Senators have had a productive offseason thus far, with the additions of Tim Stuetzle, Jake Sanderson and Ridly Grieg in the first round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, the trade for [and subsequent signing of] two-time Stanley Cup winning goaltender Matt Murray, the acquisitions for Auston Watson, Josh Brown and Erik Gudbranson, locking up forward Nick Paul and the most recent acquisition of skilled winger Evgeni Dadonov on a 3-year, $15M deal.
With the future clearly becoming ever-brighter for the Sens organization, GM Pierre Dorion continued to focus on the road ahead on Saturday, signing goaltending prospect Joey Daccord to a 3-year deal, with a somewhat odd structure.
In the first two years of the deal, Daccord will be on a two-way contract that set his earnings at $700,000 NHL/$175,000 AHL and $750,000 NHL/$300,000 AHL, but the third year of his new deal will be a one-way agreement at $800,000, which indicates that the Sens view Daccord as very close to NHL-ready.
"We've been very pleased with Joey's development. He's a big, athletic goalie and an excellent puck handler who exudes the necessary confidence to compete at the highest level. He's become a valuable asset within our pool of goaltending prospects," said Dorion in an official statement following the signing.
The former 7th round draft pick (199th overall) in 2015 honed his skills in the NCAA with the Arizona State Sun Devils, and is a former Hobey Baker Award nominee and a Mike Richter Award finalist, two of the top honors one can earn in NCAA hockey.
Daccord made his NHL debut during the 2018-2019 season, albeit in a losing effort to the Buffalo Sabres. This was the 24-year-old's one and only NHL appearance in his young career thus far. He did, however, rebound nicely in 2019-20, splitting time between the ECHL and AHL, putting up a 15-6-2 record for the AHL's Belleville Senators, posting a 2.61 GAA and a .915 SV%. Those were both team-bests.
Daccord seems to be the heir-apparent to assume the backup role behind Matt Murray, as he is currently the only goaltender in the Sens' system signed past next season, with 25-year-old pending RFA Marcus Hogberg expected to be exposed in the Seattle expansion draft and 30-year-old Anders Nilsson set to become a UFA at this season's conclusion.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Tom Wilson | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Alexander Ovechkin | - | 3 | 3 | |
| Brendan Gallagher | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Anthony Cirelli | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Josh Doan | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Pierre-Luc Dubois | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dylan Guenther | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Victor Hedman | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jack McBain | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Dylan Strome | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Jake Guentzel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Brandon Hagel | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Carcone | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Christian Dvorak | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Zemgus Girgensons | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nick Paul | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brayden Point | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cam Atkinson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| John Carlson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Desimone | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 56 | 39 | 14 | 3 | 81 | |
Capitals | 55 | 36 | 11 | 8 | 80 | |
Oilers | 55 | 34 | 17 | 4 | 72 | |
Stars | 55 | 35 | 18 | 2 | 72 | |
Golden Knights | 56 | 33 | 17 | 6 | 72 | |
Panthers | 57 | 34 | 20 | 3 | 71 | |
Hurricanes | 56 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 70 | |
Wild | 56 | 33 | 19 | 4 | 70 | |
Maple Leafs | 55 | 33 | 20 | 2 | 68 | |
Avalanche | 57 | 33 | 22 | 2 | 68 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||