Jean-Gabriel Pageau filed for arbitration almost two weeks ago, and hearings set to begin in three days.
Those deadlines are of no concern to him anymore, though.
On Monday, the Sens announced they’ve avoided arbitration with Pageau by inking him to a three-year, $9.3 million extension. The deal carries a $3.1M average annual cap hit and, per Arizona Sports’ Craig Morgan, has the following salary structure:
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (OTT) has settled:
— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) July 17, 2017
17-18 – 2.600,000
18-19 – 3.300,000
19-20 – 3.400,000
Pageau, 24, is coming off a terrific postseason run in which he scored eight goals and 10 points in 19 games, leading the Sens in markers as they advanced to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.
His four-goal game against the Rangers in Round 2 made him a folk hero in Ottawa, to the point where a local diner named a brunch item after him.
Pageau’s postseason exploits came one year after a solid ’15-16 campaign, in which he posted career highs in goals (19) and points (43).
It’s a nice pay bump for Pageau, who was previously making $900,000 annually. But it’s also good value for Ottawa, who gets a potential top-six forward locked in at a pretty reasonable rate. Pageau has been a lineup fixture over the last two years -- playing the full 82 games both seasons -- and has emerged as a quality center. He won nearly 55 percent of his draws in ’16-17 and, for the second straight year, received a handful of Selke votes as the league’s top defensive forward.