Senators sign Bolduc, Toure to two-way deals, strengthening Belleville depth

Ottawa added two defensemen to its depth chart Friday, signing Samuel Bolduc and Djibril Toure to two-way contracts for the 2026-27 season, with general manager and president of hockey operations Steve Staios making the announcement. The moves land most directly in Belleville, where the Senators are trying to build enough blue-line depth to support the AHL club while keeping bodies ready for Ottawa.

Bolduc looks like the more immediate NHL option. The 25-year-old from Laval, Quebec joined the organization in a March 12 trade with the Los Angeles Kings and finished strongly in Belleville, producing 10 points in 12 games with one goal and nine assists. He also already has 52 NHL games on his résumé, a number that matters in an organization still sorting out which defensemen can be trusted first when injuries or recalls hit. His new deal is a one-year contract carrying an $850,000 NHL salary and cap hit and a $425,000 AHL salary, and he is slated to become a Group 6 unrestricted free agent when the contract expires after 2026-27.

That profile gives Bolduc a clear edge in the call-up pecking order. He has the most offense among the two signings, the most NHL experience, and the strongest chance to push for a role above emergency depth if his Belleville production carries over. For Ottawa, that makes him more than a placeholder on the organizational list. For Belleville, it gives the coaching staff a left-side option who can help move the puck and still be considered part of the NHL pipeline.

Toure brings a different value. The 23-year-old from Dorval, Quebec spent his first two pro seasons inside the Senators system, splitting time between the ECHL and AHL. Last season he played 29 ECHL games and 74 AHL games overall, then posted four points, one goal and three assists in 38 games for Belleville. He also piled up 119 penalty minutes, which made him Belleville’s second-most penalized player and underscored the edge Ottawa is keeping in the fold.

Toure’s one-year, $850,000 deal suggests a depth role first, with his physical style giving Belleville a harder, more difficult-to-play-against option on the back end. The pair of signings arrives as Ottawa continues shaping its blue-line picture around other moves, including the extension of Jordan Spence, and it leaves Bolduc as the likelier of the two to influence Ottawa’s NHL depth chart first.