After a point-per-game in the AHL, the former first-round pick parlayed his fine season into a new deal with the analytics-driven New Jersey Devils.
Former Senators first-round pick Colin White is getting another chance to work his way back to the NHL.
The 29-year-old has signed a one-year, two-way contract with the New Jersey Devils worth $900,000 at the NHL level and $400,000 in the American Hockey League.
It's an intriguing opportunity for White, who, points-wise, is coming off the best offensive season of his professional career. Skating with the AHL's San Jose Barracuda last season, White recorded a career-high 48 points in just 46 games, the first point-per-game campaign of his pro career.
The last time White produced at that rate was nearly a decade ago during his days at Boston College where he had 36 goals and 76 points in 72 career games.
White spent substantial time this year with Kasper Haltunnen on his line, a good young prospect who was traded to the Senators in the William Eklund deal last month. White also played some right wing, alongside Filip Bystedt, the Sharks' 2022 first rounder.
White's resurgence obviously caught the eye of new Devils' GM and analytics guru Sunny Mehta and should earn him a long look at training camp. If he doesn't crack the Devils' roster, he'll provide veteran leadership and scoring depth for the AHL's Utica Comets.
White brings plenty of NHL experience to the table. Over parts of eight seasons with Ottawa, Florida, Pittsburgh and Montreal, he's appeared in 323 NHL games.
For Devils fans of a certain vintage, White's arrival may also stir up a little nostalgia. Defenceman Colin White spent 11 seasons with the Devils from 1998 to 2009, helping New Jersey win Stanley Cups in 2000 and 2003.
For Senators fans, the name just stirs up memories of unrealized expectations.
Selected 21st overall by Ottawa in the 2015 NHL Draft, White scored 14 goals and 41 points in his first full season, frequently playing on a line with Mark Stone and rookie Brady Tkachuk.
Believing they had found their long-term second-line centre, the Senators went all-in on White, handing him a six-year contract carrying a $4.75 million annual cap hit.
Unfortunately, he was never able to build on that one season.
Injuries, inconsistent production, and the emergence of younger centres like Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris quickly shoved White down the depth chart. By the summer of 2022, with three years still left on his contract, the Senators reached for the Whiteout, deleting him from the roster in a buyout.
White caught on with the Florida Panthers that fall, recording 15 points in 68 games before becoming an NHL part-timer, bouncing around between Pittsburgh, Montreal and San Jose over the next three seasons, spending most of that time in the American Hockey League.
After buying him out four years ago, the Senators are still paying for that contract. White's severance package remains on Ottawa's cap for two more seasons at an annual charge of $875,000.
But today is a good news day for White, who was always a well-liked Senators teammate.
The Way We Were: Colin White on Instagram (cwhitey27) in a 2018 photo with (left to right) fellow Sens' young guns, Thomas Chabot, Brady Tkachuk, and Max Lajoie.After rediscovering his offensive mojo in the AHL, White will try to spin it into one more shot at becoming an NHL regular.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
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