Sens make smart bet on young star Stützle

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Ottawa’s Tim Stützle is a star in the making. And it seems general manager Pierre Dorion shares that opinion, as the team announced Wednesday a max-term extension for the 20-year old, now signed on a $66.8 million dollar contract through the 2030-31 season.

Stützle entered the league with quite the pedigree. A former third overall pick (2020) whose play with Germany at the IIHF World Junior Championships drew immediate scouting attention from North America. And since entering the league, Stützle has been a solid top-six forward. His sophomore season saw him tally 59 points (22 goals and 36-assists) and just as notably, meaningful developmental steps as a two-way centreman.

If you hadn’t watched much of Stützle last season, you might bristle a bit at the size of the contract relative to his counting numbers. After all, we are talking about a player who was out-scored by players like Florida’s Anthony Duclair and St. Louis’ Brayden Schenn, the latter doing it in just 60 games. And maybe more concerningly, Ottawa again was upside-down with Stützle on the ice. The Senators were outscored 56-44 (minus-12) with him on the ice at even strength last season, begging the question just how impactful the second-year professional was.

But this is where context matters a great deal, particularly for a younger player. Ottawa has been trying to push out of a deep and ugly rebuild for some time now, and the quality of talent around the lineup has been, to say the least, limited. All Stützle has ever known has been a weak blue-line behind him, and only recently has the team put scoring weaponry around him. We know quality of teammates – especially for truly young players – matters a great deal. And such was true for