Mandolese had the fifth most saves in NHL history by a goalie making his big league debut.
The Ottawa Senators have officially re-signed restricted free goaltender Kevin Mandolese. GM Pierre Dorion announced the news during an early morning interview on TSN 1200 radio today and the club made it official this afternoon.
Mandolese gets a one-year, two-way contract that's worth $775,000 in the bigs and $110,000 in the American Hockey League.
"Kevin made some good strides last season," Dorion said in a club statement. "He's a talented goaltender who gained confidence throughout the year, especially after experiencing his first taste of NHL action. His signing further strengthens what we feel is a deep pool of goaltending prospects in the organization and we look for him to take another step forward in the year ahead."
Due to injuries, the Senators' organizational depth faced a mighty test last season with no less than seven goalies getting at least one start in Ottawa.
Mandolese made his NHL debut in February and to say it went well would be a ridiculous understatement. He made 46 saves, the fifth most in history by a goalie making his NHL debut. The Sens beat the Islanders 3-2 in a shootout. And on Valentine's Day, there was a lot to love about his game that night.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d7ew3ygAmc[/embed]
Mandolese slots in as the number four or five goalie in the organization. Obviously, Joonas Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg are the one-two punch in Ottawa, followed by Mads Sogaard, who'll start in Belleville. After that, in no particular order, it's Leevi Meralainen and Mandolese.
The signing now leaves Shane Pinto and Egor Sokolov as the club's only remaining UFAs this summer.