Nikolas Matinpalo, Ottawa Senators (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

Senators Sign Nikolas Matinpalo to 2-Year Deal

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Jacob Billington | Last updated May 5, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Ottawa Senators announced that they have signed defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo to a two-year deal worth an average annual value of $875,000.

Matinpalo joined the Senators in the 2023 offseason on a one-year entry-level contract after playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for parts of five seasons. He played in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the majority of the 2023-24 season, playing just four NHL games. He then signed a one-year deal with the club for the 2024-25 season and had a great showing at the NHL level.

Matinpalo played in 24 AHL games this season with the Belleville Senators, posting two goals and eight points. In his 41 games with the Senators in the NHL, he was able to record his first goal and point, and finish with four points on the season. He isn’t overly physical, but is able to be effective on either side of the puck. He isn’t a highly productive defenseman, but takes smart shots and gets pucks to the net. In the defensive end, he will block shots and do a great job of taking lanes away from the attacking players.

While the Senators dealt with injuries, he was given a chance to play and hasn’t looked back since. While he isn’t a flashy defenseman, his stable presence is very appreciated by the Senators fanbase and the team as well.

Matinpalo played just 22 NHL games across the two seasons before being named to Team Finland for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, where he played well.

As the Senators entered the playoffs for the first time after missing for seven seasons, Matinpalo became a regular part of the defense group that had been significantly improved over the past few seasons. He played well in the playoffs alongside Tyler Kleven and made for a very effective shut-down pair. It is fair to expect the two to make up the third pair for the foreseeable future.