Ottawa Senators re-sign Milan Michalek to three-year deal

Despite indications that Milan Michalek was interested in pursuing his free-agency options, the Ottawa Senators announced on Tuesday that they re-signed their

Despite indications that Milan Michalek was interested in pursuing his free-agency options, the Ottawa Senators announced on Tuesday that they re-signed their winger to a three-year deal. Complete terms of the deal aren't known, but the Senators said it's worth an average of $4 million per year.

The Ottawa Citizen had previously reported that Michalek was making use of the pre-July 1 interview period to speak with other teams. But the paper said Michalek always had interest in returning to Ottawa, and apparently that desire won out over any potential deal with another team.

The 29-year-old had 17 goals and 39 total points last season, a year after dealing with injury troubles and eventually undergoing major surgery on his right knee. Michalek originally came to the Senators in a 2009 trade with the Sharks for Dany Heatley.

The news of Michalek's re-signing came shortly after reports emerged that the Senators had traded center Jason Spezza to the Dallas Stars, which Ottawa later confirmed. With Ales Hemsky also a threat to leave via free agency, Michalek's new deal ensures that the Senators won't lose their entire top line from last season.

RELATED: NHL free agent tracker | Breaking down the day's deals

—Ben Estes