TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) -- Tampa Bay Lightning added a new player to their roster Monday, general manager Julien BriseBois announced.
Forward Austin Watson was signed to a one-year, $776,665 contract.
The 31-year-old played 75 games for the Ottawa Senators last season, recording nine goals and 11 points.
According to a press release, Watson's nine goals came shorthanded, and he ranked tied for first on the Senators for shorthanded goals. He was also third on the Senators for hits with 165 and blocked 61 shots – the most among Ottawa forwards and seventh among all Ottawa skaters.
"First and foremost, for me, I am excited to join this group. Having played against this team, at least the majority of it, for a long time, it's an exciting opportunity for me to come in here to this culture, to the success the team has had, and to just do whatever I can to help continue that," Watson said on his new contract according to Lightning reporter Gabby Shirley.
"I am definitely proud. When I came in here, it was new. I had probably been a regular for close to seven or eight years now on two [and] three-year contracts, so PTO was definitely a new experience for me, and they're nervy days. I got a 5-year-old and a 2-year-old and a family that counts on this, and I'm definitely thrilled to put pen to paper and have it be official," he continued.
Watson has played nine seasons in the NHL between the Senators and Nashville Predators. Over 482 games, he's tallied 58 goals and 114 points. He was selected by Nashville as the 18th overall pick in the first round of the 2010 NHL Draft
The forward played four preseason games with the Bolts this year on a professional tryout offer.