Senators owner Eugene Melynk acquired ownership of the AHL franchise as part of the deal.
"Hockey is back in Belleville. The people of Belleville are a deeply passionate and proud hockey community," Melnyk said in a statement. "This community has truly earned the return of hockey and I am committed to making the Belleville Senators an integral part of the city."
The team will play out of the Yardmen Arena, the former home of the OHL's Belleville Bulls, which relocated to Hamilton in 2015. As part of the agreement, the arena will undergo an $18.5-million modernization.
With the relocation, the Senators' top minor-league affiliate will be closer to its parent club, and the team will avoid any delays that came with the club being located south of the border.
Here's what the Coyotes' lineup looks like going into the 2016-17 season:
Forwards
LW
C
RW
Max Domi
Martin Hanzal
Anthony Duclair
Jamie McGinn
Dylan Strome
Radim Vrbata
Tobias Rieder
Christian Dvorak
Shane Doan
Jordan Martinook
Brad Richardson
Ryan White
It's a mix of young and old up front, with Strome and Dvorak set to join last year's rookie crop. Left winger Tobias Rieder remains a restricted free agent. If he does not come to terms, Arizona could insert young winger Lawson Crouse. Captain Shane Doan returns for his 21st season with the franchise.
Defense
LD
RD
Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Connor Murphy
Alex Goligoski
Michael Stone
Kevin Connauton
Luke Schenn
Zbynek Michalek
New GM John Chayka made a bold move adding Alex Goligoski, who should provide puck-moving support behind Oliver Ekman-Larsson. On the right, Michael Stone continues to recovery from knee surgery, aiming to ready for the season opener. Depth blue-liner Klas Dahlbeck could also draw into the lineup.
Goalies
G
Mike Smith
Louis Domingue
Mike Smith remains the undisputed starter, and should expect a heavy workload from head coach Dave Tippett. Still, Louis Domingue proved his worth last season, posting 15 wins in his rookie campaign.
The star winger has agreed to an eight-year, $49-million contract extension with the Boston Bruins, TSN's Bob McKenzie reports.
Marchand is in the final year of a deal carrying an annual cap hit of $4.5 million. He would have been eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2017-18.
The 28-year-old scored a career-high 37 goals last season - ranking sixth in the NHL - and recorded a career-best 60 points.
He's entering his eighth campaign with the Bruins, who picked him in the third round in 2006.
Hi Kids! Welcome to Edmonton. I'm Hunter. I promise my name does not suggest that I will track you and tear you limb from limb. pic.twitter.com/eXz6friCm3
The restricted free agent has already informed the Coyotes he won't attend training camp before signing a new contract, and now his agent, Darren Ferris, has criticized the Coyotes for being unwilling to make a deal despite being "not far apart," adding that he doesn't believe anything is imminent.
"We've made them a fair offer at two years at $2.5 million a year, and they're unwilling to do it," Ferris told The Arizona Republic. "Tobi brings a lot of intangibles to that team. I know he's a fan favorite. He loves Arizona, but it's disappointing that they're unwilling to compensate this kid fairly."
Ferris has previously stated that Rieder is considering offers from the KHL, and will make a decision following the World Cup. The Germany native is a member of Team Europe.
Coyotes general manager John Chayka wouldn't comment on the negotiations, but spoke about the process.
"We feel like we've made him some real considerable long-term offers that are right on par with the longest offers we've ever made in this organization," Chayka told The Republic.
Rieder, 23, played in all 82 games last year, scoring 37 points. He's tallied 58 points over two seasons with the Coyotes.
The World Cup is on the line when Canada and Europe kick off the best-of-three Final on Tuesday. It's a matchup between the tournament favorite and a European varsity squad that's banded together to beat the odds.
Here are three key matchups that will impact Game 1:
Between the pipes
You can't win without solid goaltending, and Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak have been the tournament's top two starters.
Former teammates with the Montreal Canadiens, Price and Halak have three wins apiece at the World Cup. Halak has allowed just eight goals in four games, showcasing a .947 save percentage and 1.96 goals-against average.
Meanwhile, Price is a perfect 3-0, with an oh-so-slightly better save percentage (.948), alongside a 1.67 GAA. Price has won 14 straight games on the international stage, dating back to the 2007 World Juniors.
Both goalies have proven capable of stealing a game - and a series - so it's a safe bet that either could repeat that in the finals.
Down the middle
Strength down the middle counts, and while Canada has a roster chock-full of elite centers, primary pivot Sidney Crosby rises to the top. Crosby leads the Canadian squad in scoring, and the entire tournament field as well, collecting three goals and four assists through four games. He's also been impressive in the dot, and defensively, owning a World Cup-best plus-seven rating.
Team Europe counters with superstar center Anze Kopitar, the lone Slovenian on the team, and like Crosby, a two-time Stanley Cup champion. Kopitar is second on the roster with three points, trailing only winger Mats Zuccarello, with the Norwegian tallying four.
Behind the bench
Credit European coach Ralph Krueger for rallying the first-year squad to beat the odds, giving it a chance to win it all. A skilled tactician, Krueger has his team focused, having already achieved upset victories over tournament heavyweights Team USA and Sweden. The Manitoba-born Krueger faces a unique challenge as he looks to extend that streak by defeating his home country in the final round.
On the other side, Canadian coach Mike Babcock is the only bench boss with membership in the Triple Gold Club, having won titles at the World Championship (2004), Stanley Cup (2008), and Olympics (2010). Babcock also repeated his Olympic performance, leading Canada to victory at the 2014 games in Sochi.
They may not always understand each other, but Team Europe's diverse group speaks the universal language of music and football chants.
The triumphant underdogs jumped up and down singing "'Olé, Olé, Olé," following Tomas Tatar's overtime winner Sunday that unexpectedly catapulted Europe into the World Cup of Hockey final against Canada.
Team Europe will continue its quest to pull off a modern 'Miracle on Ice' in Game 1 of the best-of-three championship series Tuesday night.
theScore is previewing each team leading up to the 2016-17 season.
After finishing with just 56 points in 2014-15, the Arizona Coyotes began the climb back to respectability last season, missing the postseason by just nine points. Arizona looks to take another step this year under new GM John Chayka. Here are three Coyotes to keep an eye on this season:
After finishing with 111 points in junior last year (and 240 points over the past two seasons), the betting is that Strome, 19, is ready to make the jump to the NHL. After Arizona bought out veteran Antoine Vermette, another spot opened up at center.
While the long-term goal is to pair Strome with Domi, Duclair, or some of the team's other budding forward prospects, Strome could start the year paired with veteran wingers like Jamie McGinn and Radim Vrbata, both of whom signed with the Coyotes this summer.
Martin Hanzal
When healthy, center Martin Hanzal provides the Coyotes with size and a dominating presence down the middle. In addition, he's a valuable penalty killer and a great net-front presence on the man advantage.
The problem is that Hanzal spends too much time on the injury reserve. He was limited to 64 games last season and has not played more than 65 games in any of the past six seasons. Still, he scored a career-best 41 points last campaign, and if he can avoid the injury bug, that number figures to increase as the team infuses more young talent.
Hanzal, 29, is a pending unrestricted free agent. In August, Chayka admitted to the possibility that the Coyotes could enter the season with no extension in place. Depending on the team's performance, and if he is still unsigned, the Coyotes could move Hanzal at the trade deadline. In June, Arizona asked Hanzal, who carries a modified no-trade clause, for a list of teams to which he would accept a trade.
Mike Smith
The Coyotes' season will live and die on the performance of starting goalie Mike Smith.
Smith, 34, missed 40 games last season after undergoing core muscle surgery. Upon his return, he posted a 5-4-1 record, a pair of shutouts, and an incredible .944 save percentage. He finished the year 15-13-2, with a .916 save percentage, his second-best with the Coyotes.
When healthy, Smith has been heavily replied upon by head coach Dave Tippett, appearing in no fewer than 62 games in any of his three full seasons in Arizona.
Last season, young backup Louis Domingue proved capable, and could run with the starter's role should Smith falter. Adding another wrinkle, the Coyotes will need to expose a goalie in next summer's expansion draft, and Smith's big-ticket contract - three years remaining with a $5.67 million cap hit - could be made available to Las Vegas.
