TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning signed forward Austin Watson to a one-year contract worth $776,665, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
The 31-year-old Watson played 75 games for the Ottawa Senators last season, recording nine goals and 11 points. Three of Watson’s nine goals came shorthanded, and he ranked tied for first on the Senators for shorthanded goals. Watson was third on the Senators for hits with 165 and blocked 61 shots, the most among Ottawa forwards and seventh among all Ottawa skaters.
Watson has played nine seasons in the NHL between the Senators and Nashville Predators, tallying 58 goals and 114 points over 482 games. He played four preseason games with the Lightning in 2023 on a professional tryout offer.
Watson was originally a first-round selection (18th overall) of Nashville in the 2010 NHL Draft.
