Watson was third on the Senators for hits with 165 and blocked 61 shots, the most among Ottawa forwards.
After playing four preseason games on a professional tryout offer, the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed forward Austin Watson to a one-year contract worth $776,665.
The 31-year-old played 75 games for the Ottawa Senators last season, recording nine goals and 11 points. Watson was third on the Senators for hits with 165 and blocked 61 shots, the most among Ottawa forwards. He tied for first on the Senators for shorthanded goals.
According to PuckPedia the specific $776,665 cap hit puts the Lightning just $2 below the combined cap hits of Brent Seabrook and Logan Brown, two players set to be placed on LTIR. Because of this optimization, the Lightning will be able to place Vasilevskiy on injured reserve and gain $9.5MM in cap space.
Watson has played nine seasons in the NHL between the Senators and Nashville Predators, tallying 58 goals and 114 points over 482 games.
Watson was originally a first-round selection (18th overall) of Nashville in the 2010 NHL Draft.