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Ottawa Senators Clarke MacArthur (16) celebrates his goal with teammates Patrick Wierciock (46) and Jason Spezza (19) during first period, NHL hockey between the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers in Ottawa Monday December 9, 2013.FRED CHARTRAND/The Canadian Press

The Ottawa Senators have signed forward Clarke MacArthur to a US$23.25-million, five-year contact extension.

The deal runs through the end of the 2019-'20 season and has an average annual value of $4.65 million, the team said in a release.

MacArthur, a 29-year-old native of Lloydminster, Alta., scored a career-high 24 goals and had 31 assists in 79 games last season. He also set career highs with a plus-12 rating and 78 penalty minutes.

"Obviously our happiness with his performance last year was a big reason to give him the term that we did," general manager Bryan Murray said Tuesday on a conference call.

In 482 career regular-season NHL games with Buffalo, Atlanta, Toronto and Ottawa, MacArthur has 268 points (117-151) and 307 penalty minutes.

Murray described MacArthur as a "character guy," who was a good fit with forward Kyle Turris last season.

"Obviously we're quite happy with what he did," Murray said. "He's in that 20-to-25 goal range on a somewhat consistent basis and he's a real complement to the young players who will end up playing at some point with him. Kyle Turris and him seemed to fit like a glove.

"Whoever plays on the right side I think will really benefit from playing with Clarke and Kyle. To me, it really solidifies a good pair that ... will make our team be a consistent contender."

MacArthur was Buffalo's third-round pick (74th overall) in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

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