Bakke Olsen: Good Signing For Senators?

The Ottawa Senators dipped overseas Monday, announcing the signing of Norwegian centre Eskild Bakke Olsen to a one-year entry-level contract.

Earning a bronze medal for Norway at the recent IIHF World Championship, Bakke Olsen perked up the eyes of the NHL scouting community. The 24-year-old registered two goals, three assists in 10 games, including opening the scoring versus Canada in a wild affair which ended in a disappointing 6-5 overtime loss for Bakke Olsen’s Norway team. Centring the third line in a checking role, Bakke Olsen was named Norway’s Player of the Game.

Promising SHL and international season

Playing on the first year of a three-year deal for Linkoping HC in the Swedish Hockey League, Bakke Olsen produced 11 goals, 21 assists in 51 regular season games in the 2025-26 campaign, finishing second in club scoring. The six-foot-two, 203-pound pivot led his Bofors IK Sweden second division (Allsvenskan) team in points the previous two seasons with 53 (nine goals, 44 assists in 2024-25), 37 (10 goals, 27 assists in 2023-24) respectively.

Bakke Olsen’s signing is “low risk, maybe high reward” with 4C potential for the Senators per one NHL Executive. “He’s smart, good vision and defensively aware, but average skating.”

Bakke Olsen’s contract contains an NHL salary cap hit of $910,000 which includes a $60,000 signing bonus. Bakke Olsen is slated to earn $80,000 if he plays in Belleville per Puckpedia. It’s unknown at this time if the native of Hamar, Norway can elect to return to Linkoping if he doesn’t make the Senators roster.

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Faceoffs, netfront presence

Daily Faceoff prospect expert Steven Ellis fresh off covering the World Championships told Hockey Hot Stove, “Bakke Olsen was extremely impressive at the World Championship. He was great in the faceoff dot, pushed guys around and was great in front of the net. He was one of the most impressive players outside of the NHL in that tournament and scouts really started to fall in love with his work ethic and strong puck play. He’s the type of player you could rely on in a bottom line role, and it’s been great to see him get to this point in his career as an older free agent signing.”

While Senators general manager Steve Staios recently extended Stephen Halliday two years, Bakke Olsen provides added fourth line competition. And with trade chatter surrounding the NHL Draft June 26-27 and free agency July 1, who knows how Ottawa’s roster will look in the coming weeks?

https://www.iihf.com/en/events/2026/wm/gamecenter/playbyplay/69617/30-can-vs-nor