The 38-year-old defenseman had 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) in 81 regular-season games with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season and one assist in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games.
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"We have talked about our desire to bring in quality veterans to help our younger players on their development path and Ron fits that role perfectly," Senators general manager Pierre Dorion said. "As a defenseman, Ron can play both sides and is an excellent penalty killer, but we feel he'll be equally valuable to our team as a leader and a professional to mentor our current group."
Selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (No. 13) of the 2000 NHL Draft, Hainsey has 299 points (58 goals, 241 assists) in 1,068 regular-season games with the Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Carolina Hurricanes, Winnipeg Jets, Atlanta Thrashers, Columbus Blue Jackets and Canadiens.
Hainsey has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 39 playoff games, including winning the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 2017.
"When we were looking at free agents, we were looking for someone on the backend that could mentor, stabilize our defense," Dorion said. "And when we were going through the names with our pro scouts when the season ended, Ron Hainsey's name came up. And then we hired [coach] DJ [Smith]. And DJ has mentioned to us many times that what Ron Hainsey did with the young defense group in Toronto last year was very important for them, and we feel he can do that for us."
