The Ottawa Senators have absorbed some devastating roster moves this summer. The big issue on Ottawa's horizon is the next contract for star winger Drake Batherson. What will Batherson's next deal look like – and will he want to stay in Canada's capital for the long-term?
To be understated about it, the Ottawa Senators have not had the greatest summer.
The Senators had captain Brady Tkachuk pull the chute on them and engineer his way out of Ottawa. Their goaltending didn’t necessarily improve – in fact, it may have gotten worse with the acquisition of former Philadelphia Flyers netminder Samuel Ersson.
To top it off, the teams around them in the Atlantic Division, particularly Toronto and Florida, got much better.
That being said, it wasn’t all bad news for the Sens.
Ottawa did bring back veteran center Claude Giroux and 23-year-old center William Eklund was acquired from the San Jose Sharks. The Senators also picked up journeyman left winger Andre Burakovsky from the Chicago Blackhawks.
But the one piece of unfinished business that’s looming prominently on the horizon is re-signing star right winger Drake Batherson, who becomes a UFA a year from now.
Batherson is entering the final season of a six-year contract worth $4.975-million per season. Considering that he’s coming off a career-best season with 33 goals and 71 points in 79 games, the 28-year-old's negotiating leverage clearly gives him a leg up on Sens GM Steve Staios – and that’s if Batherson even wants another long-term commitment with Ottawa.
Can the Senators convince Batherson to stay?
Certainly, the optics of Batherson wanting out of Ottawa would be absolutely devastating for the franchise. So if they do intend on keeping Batherson around, the Senators are going to have to give him a lot more money than he is previously receiving.
To that end, considering Batherson has recorded at least 22 goals and 66 points in each of the past four seasons, he would be one of the biggest names on the free-agent market next off-season. Doubling his salary is a foregone conclusion. At this stage, he’s looking like he'll get around what Alex Tuch received from the Washington Capitals this summer.
As THN.com’s Steve Warne reported, the Senators and Batherson aren’t close in negotiations, and that must feel extremely worrisome for Ottawa fans. Of course, many negotiations that start out with two sides far apart eventually come to a happy conclusion for both sides. That could be the case for Batherson and the Sens.
Does an eight-year extension make sense?
The Senators clearly have the financial wherewithal to bring Batherson back on a long-term contract extension. In fact, he could get an eight-year deal by signing with Ottawa prior to September 16. That is, if Batherson wants to commit that long.
Based on his age, longevity may not be a huge factor for Batherson, who isn't looking at this contract as his final payday. Still, he’s in his prime and he’s going to be paid accordingly, whether that's in Ottawa or somewhere else.
The Senators, who have qualified for the playoffs in back-to-back years, are still in win-now mode. Although, in a highly-competitive Atlantic Division, there’s no assurance that Ottawa, which also got bounced in the first round in back-to-back years, will make the Stanley Cup playoffs again next season.
But without Batherson, the Sens’ long-term picture isn’t nearly so bright as it was a short time ago.
Ottawa is going to have difficulty filling the void left by Tkachuk. Now, if you also lose Batherson a year from now, the result could be absolutely catastrophic.
Signing a contract with a 10- to $11-million cap hit would make Batherson the Senators’ highest-paid player — and by a very large margin. The next highest-paid Ottawa player would be star center Tim Stutzle, and he’s making only $8.5 million per season.
But the Sens currently have $40.4-million in cap space, so they can easily afford to give Batherson the money he’s looking for.
Small market problems
Ottawa is one of the NHL’s smaller markets, but they can’t afford to look like they can’t afford to keep their young stars. And you’d better believe Batherson’s agent is keenly-aware of this. This is why the Senators should give Batherson an eight-digit salary..
Batherson is one of the Sens’ core pieces, and he’s going to need Staios to pay him like one. And if Ottawa doesn’t make him happy – financially and otherwise – the Senators could lose two major pieces in two summers.
If that happens, what started out as a disappointing off-season will only get worse.
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