Xavier Bourgault settles with Ottawa Senators on one-year deal worth league minimum
The 23-year-old forward filed for arbitration and secured a raise in the AHL after 57 points in 70 games with the Senators' farm team in Belleville.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Forward Xavier Bourgault and the Ottawa Senators have settled on a one-year contract worth $850,000 in the National Hockey League and $265,000 in the American Hockey League, ending the only arbitration case filed by an Ottawa player this off-season.
Bourgault, 23, was one of 15 players across the NHL to file for arbitration. While the NHL salary is league minimum, the deal represents a meaningful raise for the Montmagny, Quebec, native in the AHL—his base salary there rises from $90,000 in 2025-26.
The forward is unlikely to crack the NHL roster out of training camp this fall. Barring injuries, he will start the 2026-27 season with the Senators' farm team in Belleville, where he set career highs last year. Playing on the top line with Arthur Kaliyev, the league's leading goal scorer, Bourgault posted 57 points (25 goals, 32 assists) in 70 games.
Bourgault was acquired by Ottawa in the summer of 2024 from Edmonton, along with forward Jake Chiasson, in exchange for Roby Jarventie and a fourth-round pick. He made his NHL debut with the Senators in December, recording three shots in 10 shifts against Toronto.
