The Ottawa Senators are keeping a defenseman around for the long term by signing pending restricted free agent Jordan Spence to a four-year, $20 million contract, the team announced Friday.
The Senators also traded for Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Samuel Ersson, sending back a 2027 fifth-round pick in return.
Spence, 25, was a big part of the Senators' ability to surmount their injuries on defense and still make the playoffs. He scored a career-high seven goals and finished with 31 points while skating an average of nearly 19 minutes over 73 games.
"Jordan was an excellent addition to our hockey club and proved to be a valuable asset on our blue line and stepped up when it counted last season," general manager Steve Staios said in a statement. "We're excited to have him as part of our core group."
Spence joined the Senators in a June 2025 trade from the Los Angeles Kings, for whom he made his NHL debut in 2021-22 and totaled 61 points over 180 games.
Ersson, 26, went 14-11-5 with a 3.12 goals-against average and .870 save percentage last season for the Philadelphia Flyers. He had already been traded once this month, when the Flyers acquired goaltender Joseph Woll and defenseman Simon Benoit for Ersson, defenseman Emil Andrae and a third-round pick in this year's draft.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.