Overview
- The Senators and Xavier Bourgault reached a one-year, two-way contract announced Thursday that pays $850,000 at the NHL level and $265,000 in the AHL.
- The agreement settles Bourgault’s arbitration case and removes the need for a hearing that his camp had filed to secure higher minor-league pay.
- Bourgault earned the raise after a 2025–26 AHL breakout in Belleville when he scored 25 goals and 57 points in 70 games and made a two-game NHL debut.
- The team expects him to start the 2026–27 season in the AHL to continue development, but strong early play could prompt recalls and extended NHL opportunities.
- Bourgault is a former 22nd-overall pick in 2021 who was traded to Ottawa in 2024, and the deal both increases his immediate earnings and preserves Ottawa’s internal depth as the club reshapes its roster.