Can Ottawa Senators Prospect Max Guenette Push for an NHL Job?

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Almost five years ago to the day, the Ottawa Senators selected right-shot Finnish defenceman Lassi Thomson with their first-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. After most of the TV cameras had turned off the following day, they took Val d'Or Foreurs right-shot defenceman Maxence Guenette with their seventh-round pick.

Both players were scheduled to become restricted free agents this summer. Guess which player got a contract?

Ottawa Senators president of hockey operations and GM Steve Staios announced on Tuesday that the team has signed Guenette, the dark horse, to a one-year, two-way contract extension. The deal is exactly the same as Angus Crookshank's new pact. It's worth $775,000 in the NHL and $120,000 in the AHL.

As for the fate of the former first-rounder, Thomson returned to Europe to play pro hockey in Sweden next season, receiving little to no resistance from the NHL team that drafted him.

In Belleville this season, Guenette finished second in assists (27) and led all defencemen in points (34). He also got called up to Ottawa for seven games.

"Max played an important role in Belleville last season," Staios said in a club press release. "He's a strong puck mover who routinely demonstrates good hockey sense. He's been a deserving recall to Ottawa and someone we'll look forward to seeing in training camp this fall."

Guenette is 6-foot-1, 181 pounds and still just 23 years old. After Artem Zub, Ottawa's best right-shot NHL defencemen are Jacob Bernard-Docker and Travis Hamonic. So, at the moment, Guenette has an outside chance at pushing for an NHL job this fall, especially with the fresh evaluation of a new management team.

Making the team in Ottawa is a long shot, but having said that, who would have thought Guenette would outlast Thomson in the organization? Who figured he'd be leading their top farm club in points by a defenceman for the second year in a row?

Guenette is a good defenceman who's paying his dues, flying under the radar, and has an intriguing habit of defying the odds.