The Senators and Drake Batherson have opened negotiations on a contract extension, but if the early reports are accurate, they have a long way to go.

Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch reported this week that the two sides "aren't close" to reaching an agreement, adding that league executives believe Batherson could command between $10 million and $11 million annually if he reaches unrestricted free agency next summer.

Batherson is entering the final year of one of the NHL's best bargain contracts. His current deal, which carries a $4.975 million cap hit, has been outstanding value for years now, reliably putting up 60+ points for each of the last four seasons. He even cracked 30 goals and 70 points for the first time in 2025-26.

The 28-year-old also showed he can produce in the playoffs, leading the Senators with three goals and four points despite Ottawa scoring only 5 times in a four-game sweep at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Tim Stützle, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, and Linus Ullmark all make $8 million and change to top the Senators' salary list, but Batherson is about to blow past them all. Ullmark and Chabot both have two years left on their deals, but Stutzle and Sanderson are locked up for five and six more years, respectively.

There certainly isn't a rush to sign Batherson, who still has one more year left on his deal. But if the Sens wait, his price tag only goes up.

Batherson told me back in May that he's more than open to re-signing here, and as for an extension happening this summer, he hopes it happens.

"Oh, yeah," Batherson said. "I mean, it's a great spot for me. It's close to home. I've been here for almost a decade now and made so many friends outside of hockey in Ottawa. So, yeah, it feels like home."

There's certainly a strong willingness on both sides to get something done, especially if the discussions are reasonable. But if Batherson can get beyond $10 million on the open market next summer, as Garrioch's sources suggest he can, then it's understandable that the Senators would want to take some time to think about things. 

How much are they willing to offer to get Batherson to forego the open auction of free agency? What exactly is Batherson's ask? How far apart are they?

Batherson poked his nose into a Jordan Spence interview this week on Coming in Hot, and when asked by Brent Wallace if he had any contract updates, he shouted with a smile that he can't negotiate publicly.

By Steve Warne 
The Hockey News