Senators Buy Out Jonathan Cheechoo's Contract

The Ottawa Senators announced today that they have bought out the final year of Jonathan Cheechoo's contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. He was scheduled to make $3.5 million for the 2010-11 season. The Senators acquired Cheechoo last September from the San Jose Sharks along with Milan Michalek in exchange for Dany Heatley. In 61 games last season with the Senators, Cheechoo had five goals and nine assists for 14 points. He also appeared in 25 games with Binghamton of the AHL, scoring eight goals and six assists for 14 points. In 501 career NHL games with the Sharks and Senators, he has 170 goals and 135 assists for 305 points. He won the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2006 as the goals leader in the NHL. This comes as no surprise, as Cheechoo has been in constant offensive decline over the past several seasons. It's possible another team could sign him this summer to add some veteran depth to their team, but it likely wouldn't be for very much given his lack of offense in recent years. If he does get signed this summer, it will likely be his last chance to prove that he can still produce decent numbers at the NHL level, otherwise his NHL career could be over.