Senators Racing Clock On Contract Extension With Drake Batherson
Speaking to reporters, Batherson reiterated the urgency. "It would be nice to get it done before the season and not have the distraction when the games start," he said. "I'm not sure what's going to happen, but hopefully it gets done before that... I want to get it done before camp."
GM Steve Staios echoed the sentiment. "Drake's an important player and certainly continue to find a way to make him an Ottawa Senator for a long time," Staios said. "He wants to be here in Ottawa and we want him here. Those deals tend to work out."
Why September 15 Matters
The urgency isn't just about avoiding a season-long distraction.
Under the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement, teams can only sign a player to an eight-year contract extension through September 15.
Starting September 16, the maximum term for re-signing your own player drops to seven years, and the max for signing with a new team drops to six.
Per Bruce Garrioch, Batherson is specifically seeking that full eight-year term, and as of the most recent reporting, the two sides "aren't close" to an agreement.
Garrioch pointed to Adrian Kempe's eight-year, $85 million deal with Los Angeles last fall as a realistic comparable, with league executives believing Batherson could command $10 million to $11 million annually if he reaches unrestricted free agency next summer instead.
Waiting Only Gets More Expensive
Batherson's value has climbed every season since he arrived in Ottawa, and last year was his best yet, 33 goals and 71 points in 79 games, both career highs.
The Hockey News laid out exactly why delay works against the Senators: the salary cap itself is jumping to $104 million this year and is projected to climb toward $113 million in 2027-28, and recent extensions have only pushed the market higher.
Connor Bedard signed for $15 million annually with Chicago, and Leo Carlsson landed $18 million per year in Anaheim after the Ducks matched his offer sheet. Every deal like that raises the bar Batherson's camp can point to.
Ottawa already lost captain Brady Tkachuk to Florida this summer after honoring his trade request, making Batherson's situation the Senators' next major retention test.
He was Ottawa's second-leading scorer last season and led the team in the playoffs with three goals and four points during a first-round sweep at the hands of Carolina, even as the Senators managed just five goals total across that series.
With Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, and Linus Ullmark already among the team's highest earners, Batherson's next contract is set to push him past all of them.
Both sides insist they want the same outcome. Whether that translates into a deal before Tuesday's deadline, or forces Ottawa to settle for a shorter term than either side originally wanted, is the question the Senators have six days left to answer.
