Marc Methot, Senators agree to four-year contract extension

By Vinnie Criscenzo | Feb 16, 2015

Mar 5, 2014; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Ottawa Senators defenseman Marc Methot (3) skates with the puck against the Calgary Flames during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won 4-1. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports /

Defenseman Marc Methot has signed a four-year contract extension with the Ottawa Senators.

Any team in the NHL who is looking to add a veteran defenseman before the March 2nd trade deadline will have to scratch one name off their lists.

Defenseman Marc Methot signed a 4-year, $19.6 million contract extension with the Ottawa Senators on Monday, officially taking him off the trade market this year. Methot will earn $4.9 million in each of the four years. The deal is a significant raise from his previous contract, that saw him earn $3 million per year.

The new contract also includes a 10-team no trade clause. That likely means that if the Ottawa Senators ever decided they wanted to trade Methot during the duration of this contract, Methot can give the Senators a list of 10 teams he would not accept a trade to.

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It has been widely speculated that Methot would be one of the players moved at the trade deadline if a deal could not be reached with the Senators. Fortunately for the Senators, they were able to reach a deal that will keep Methot in Ottawa for another four years.

The Senators acquired Methot from the Columbus Blue Jackets back on July 1, 2012 in exchange for forward Nick Foligno.

Methot, a sixth-round draft pick by the Blue Jackets back in 2003, won’t ever blow anyone away on the stat sheet. He has compiled 15 goals and 90 assists in 414 regular season games with the Blue Jackets and Senators. However, he is an extremely solid stay-at-home defenseman who can play against the other team’s top line and also bring a lot of physicality.

This season so far, Methot has recorded no goals and 5 assists in 17 games with a plus-8 rating. He has missed the majority of the season dealing with lower-back and hip injuries, but has been one of Ottawa’s lone bright spots this season playing alongside captain Erik Karlsson.

Someone has to stay back and play defense while Karlsson is doing his Karlsson thing.

Since coming back to the lineup, Methot and Karlsson have really meshed well together, which probably factored in to the Senators wanting to keep Methot instead of trade him at the deadline.

The Senators currently sit in sixth place in the Atlantic Division and nine points out of a playoff spot. It’s more than likely the Senators will miss the playoffs this season, so they still may make some moves before the trade deadline passes. Their trading options are a bit limited now with Methot signed, but they still have a few players that they could choose to move, such as Chris Neil and possibly Chris Phillips.

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