Senators sign Condra to two-year contract

The Ottawa Senators announced Friday they have signed forward Erik Condra to a two-year contract extension. Terms of the deal were not released, but Canadian Press reported it to be worth a total of $2.5 million.

Condra, a restricted free agent, had been eligible for arbitration.

"It's great to get Erik signed; we got him done to a two-year deal so it gives him a bit of a future and more time to improve his game," Senators assistant general manager Tim Murray told the team's website. "He's an important part of our penalty kill, obviously. We were one of the top teams on the PK, and he had the most minutes on our team, so that's a big part of our game and a big part of his game. We hope we can keep helping him improve his offensive game and that he can be around for a while."

In bringing back the 26-year-old, the Senators add depth to a forward unit that retooled this offseason. Longtime captain Daniel Alfredsson signed with the Detroit Red Wings, but days later the Senators traded for Bobby Ryan from the Anaheim Ducks and signed free-agent forward Clarke MacArthur.

"I'm excited about it. It seems like a great fit for our team; what we needed was a pure goal-scorer and Bobby Ryan can definitely put the puck in the net," Condra said. "We've played against MacArthur for the last few years and he's a great player as well, he's been known to score a few goals himself. It's going to be great for us ... I'm excited. I'm ready."

Condra was Ottawa's seventh-round selection (No. 211) in the 2006 NHL Draft. He was one of six players to appear in each of the Senators' 48 games in the 2012-13 season. He had four goals and 12 points last season, and seven points in 10 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

In three NHL seasons, Condra has 18 goals and 48 points in 155 games.

"I don't see my role changing too much, I just hopefully add to it," he said. "I know coach [Paul] MacLean has respect for me and he can use me in any situation, which he has as we saw. I enjoy it and hopefully I can make the most of any situation I'm put into."