Free-agent signee Vladimir Tarasenko is thrilled for the opportunity that lays ahead as the newest member of the Ottawa Senators.

"I like that it's a young team, very hungry to win," Tarasenko told reporters Tuesday. "With the ownership change and talking to the coach and to the general manager and to the guys, it sounds like they really, really want to win and take the next step and I'm very happy to be a part of it."

Tarasenko inked a one-year, $5-million deal with the club Thursday. He was arguably the top unrestricted free agent remaining.

The Senators have missed the postseason in six straight seasons - the third-longest active drought in the league - but Tarasenko is up to task of helping the team get over the hump from rebuilder to contender.

"It's very exciting when you have some challenges ahead of you," he said. "I'm very excited to be a part of it and to maybe share my experience from what I've had in previous years and help a team take the next step, win more games, make the playoffs, and go from there."

Tarasenko will bring valuable championship pedigree to the team, as he and Mathieu Joseph are the only players on the roster who've won a Stanley Cup. Tarasenko did so with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, tallying 11 goals and six assists in 26 playoff games during the Cup run. Overall, he has 97 contests of postseason experience and has made the playoffs in 10 of his 11 NHL seasons.

The Russian winger is 31 now, but he proved last season he can still be productive in a top-six role, registering 18 goals and 50 points in 69 games split between the Rangers and Blues.

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Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman was awarded a one-year contract worth $3.48 million in arbitration, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.

The Bruins had filed at $2 million, while Swayman's camp came in at $4.8 million. The award is $75,000 more than the middle of the two amounts. Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Ilya Samsonov received a $3.55-million salary in arbitration on July 23.

Boston had the option of choosing a two-year contract in arbitration, according to PuckPedia. Swayman will be a restricted free agent next summer.

Swayman's coming off an entry-level contract that carried a cap hit of $925,000.

The 24-year-old posted a .920 save percentage and a 2.27 goals against average in 37 games last season. Alongside Linus Ullmark, he won the William M. Jennings Trophy.

Boston opted to start Swayman instead of Ullmark in Game 7 of the first round against the Florida Panthers. He allowed four goals on 31 shots in the overtime loss.

Swayman turned pro in 2020 after a stellar tenure at the University of Maine, where he won the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA's best goaltender in his final season. Over three NHL seasons, he's compiled a 54-23-7 record and a .920 SV% in 88 games.

The Anchorage, Alaska, native has started six playoff games with the Bruins. He took the starting job from Ullmark in Game 3 of the 2022 first round against the Carolina Hurricanes. He went 3-2 with a .911 SV% but ultimately came up short with a 3-2 loss in Game 7.

Internationally, Swayman has represented the United States twice. He was a third-string netminder at the 2018 world juniors and started for the U.S. at the 2022 World Championship.

The Bruins had $3.1 million of cap space prior to the signing, according to CapFriendly.

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The Boston Bruins signed forward Trent Frederic to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $2.3 million, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports.

Frederic, 25, set career highs with 17 goals and 31 points in 79 games last season. He failed to register a point in five playoff contests.

The two sides were set for an arbitration hearing Tuesday. Frederic's camp came in at $2.9 million for one year, while the Bruins filed at $2.8 million over two seasons, according to Friedman.

Frederic will be an unrestricted free agent at the expiration of the contract. He's coming off a two-year contract signed in 2021 that carried a cap hit of $1.05 million.

He accrued 29 goals and 54 points in 198 total games with Boston over five seasons. The Bruins drafted him 29th overall in 2016.

The St. Louis native was the most penalized player in the 2019-20 AHL season, racking up 148 penalty minutes in 59 contests. He's accumulated 194 PIM in the NHL.

Boston has $3.1 million of cap space after the signing, according to CapFriendly. Jeremy Swayman is the Bruins' only restricted free agent left unsigned.

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