Happier Methot ready for new era in Ottawa

Marc Methot seems to be having a much better offseason this summer than he did last year, as he is finally healthy now and has a guaranteed contract for the forseeable future. It's a stark change from last summer, when he was battling a hip/back injury which caused him to miss the first half of the season, and he was also trying to handle a contract dispute with the organization.

"That was one of the most stressful things that I’ve had to deal with during my career,” Methot told the Ottawa Citizen. "I’m not complaining about it, but it’s not easy when you worry about your future and your security and all of that ties into it. Having that comfort now is just great, because I can just focus on playing and winning games."

Methot ended up signing a four-year extension in February right before the Senators made their famous push to earn an improbable playoff spot. While it is unlikely that Ottawa will experience that same luck all year in 2015-16, there is reason to be excited about the future. 

This summer, the Senators granted extensions to some of the young players who helped lead that late-season charge  -- a list of players which includes Mark Stone, Mika Zibanejad and Mike Hoffman -- and therefore the core of the team remains together. 

"It’s huge, because it’s not just about the veteran guys, but all the young guys, too," Methot told the Ottawa Citizen. "It’s huge, knowing we have a great group going into the season, not a lot of unknowns and we have a lot of experience after last year."

(h/t Ottawa Citizen)