It’s taken a while, but Chris Wideman appears primed to stick at the NHL level.
Wideman, a longtime scoring ace in the American League, has inked a two-year, one-way extension with the Sens worth $1.6 million, the club announced on Wednesday. The deal carries an $800,000 average annual cap hit, and comes in Wideman’s first full season at the NHL level.
The 26-year-old, a fourth-round pick in ’09, has spent most of his professional career with the Sens’ AHL affiliate in Binghamton, where he emerged as one of the league’s best offensive defensemen. He was given the Eddie Shore award last season as the AHL’s top blueliner, after scoring 61 points in 75 games.
This year, Wideman has five goals and nine points through 44 games, averaging 13 minutes per night.
Wideman had previously been on a one-year, $600,000 deal and was set to become a restricted free agent at year’s end.