The Ottawa Senators finally returned to the postseason after a lengthy rebuild in 2024-25. They made big moves at the NHL trade deadline to help push their forward group. Among those is Fabian Zetterlund, who joined the Senators in the last year of his contract from the San Jose Sharks. Now, the Senators have started their offseason by re-signing him to a three-year contract.

“Sources say [Senators] and Fabian Zetterlund have agreed to terms on an extension: 3 years x $4.275 million = $12.825 million,” Daily FaceOff insider Frank Seravalli reported.

Zetterlund played 84 games between San Jose and Ottawa this year, scoring 19 goals with 22 assists for 41 points. But his offensive numbers declined significantly after the trade. He scored two goals and three assists in 20 regular-season games before being held scoreless in their six playoff games.

Zetterlund was set to be a restricted free agent on July 1. That is why the Senators paid a second-round pick to land Zetterlund and minor-league center Tristen Robbins. He was always going to stay with Ottawa, and now they have his salary locked in heading into free agency.

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The Senators now have $10.9 million in cap space, according to CapWages. They have a few unrestricted free agents they may want to keep. That includes Claude Giroux, who has spent the last three seasons in Ottawa. Adam Gaudette, Matthew Highmore, and Anton Forsberg all could come back before hitting free agency.

The Senators should still leave money to add a scorer in NHL free agency. If Nikolaj Ehlers or Brock Boeser are willing to stay in Canada, the Nation's Capital could be an intriguing landing spot. Restricted free agents Gabe Vilardi and Marco Rossi should also be on their list.

The Senators are in a position to spend this summer and will be able to add to their playoff core. That now includes Fabian Zetterlund.