If Drake Batherson goes all in on an eight-year extension, his loyalty could shift opinions on the Senators' leadership options.
Since Michael Andlauer took over the Ottawa Senators, the environment has changed completely. Ottawa may not be the number one NHL destination out there, but it's so much more attractive than it was under previous ownership. It's not even close.
Senators fans are well aware of that, and they also know Brady Tkachuk's recent exit was more about wanting to play with his brother than getting out of Ottawa. But still, a little reassurance that top players do enjoy playing here would be welcome right about now.
Drake Batherson appears willing to provide some.
Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch reports that Batherson is looking for the max eight-year extension with the Senators, which would be a huge commitment to Ottawa from a player who's not obligated to make any kind of decision until next July.
Batherson still has another season remaining on his current contract and could become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Instead of waiting to see what might be available elsewhere, he apparently wants to make Ottawa his long-term home.
For the Senators, that part is very good news. But can they get a deal done, and how long are they willing to wait before they renew their vows? The clock is ticking on a meaningful deadline that's less than a month away.
Batherson is entering the final season of the six-year, $29.85-million contract he signed in 2021, carrying an annual cap hit of just $4.975 million.
It's been one of the best contracts in the NHL.
Batherson has produced at least 60 points in four straight seasons and is coming off the best year of his career, with 33 goals and 71 points in 79 games. He led the Senators in scoring and then added three goals and an assist in their four-game playoff series against Carolina. For a team that only scored five goals in this year's playoffs, that's a big deal.
Make no mistake, with $24 million in career earnings (before tax), Batherson is already set for life. But his next deal will likely bring in four times that amount.
If he re-signs here, he'll likely be the highest-paid player in Senators history, probably getting somewhere around $9-10 million. If he waits and heads for the open auction of free agency, he'll likely get more.
Batherson will turn 29 in April, and an eight-year extension wouldn't begin until the 2027-28 season. So he'd be under contract for the next nine seasons.
Still paying $10 million for a guy in his late 30s isn't ideal, but it isn't necessarily a deal-breaker.
If the price of keeping an excellent top-six winger through the remainder of his prime is accepting that the final couple of seasons might not provide the same value, the Senators would probably be willing to live with that.
But it's also easy to understand why they might prefer something shorter.
A shorter deal would allow the Sens to reassess Batherson's value as he drifts into his early 30s, and maybe move to shorter, less expensive deals if necessary.
From Batherson's perspective, a shorter deal could also make sense. The cap and salaries will almost certainly continue to rise, so with a four-year deal, he might be in for an even bigger payday when that deal concludes.
But there's risk in that. His game might start to fade in his early 30s. You never know when another third-string goalie might shove him into the end boards so injuries could set in. Maybe the rising cap grinds to a halt (not likely).
With an 8-year deal, he's all set, and the rest of his career is taken care of, as are many future generations of his family.
Batherson making $10 million might sound a little shocking when Tim Stützle and Jake Sanderson are making a little over $8 million. But those contracts were signed and negotiated in a completely different cap environment.
These days, Macklin Celebrini, Leo Carlsson, Kirill Kaprizov and Connor Bedard have raised the bar for everyone with new deals that carry cap hits of $15-$18.8 million.
And by 2027-28, when Batherson's new contract would begin, the NHL salary cap is projected to be $113.5 million.
Ten million dollars just doesn't go as far as it used to, kids.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking, and not just on the last year of Batherson's deal. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the maximum contract length for a player re-signing with his current team will drop from eight years to seven.
Those changes take effect September 16.
That gives the Senators and Batherson less than a month to hash something out if that eighth year is important to him. After that, it disappears as an option.
If that date does come and go, and eight years is something he wants, it's not necessarily a dealbreaker, but it's easy to imagine Batherson's camp being a little irked by that.
But keeping it positive, maybe it helps add some urgency to get something done. And certainly both sides have remained positive this summer.
"There’s no secret that we want to get Drake Batherson signed,' Steve Staios said last week at a fan event. "That conversation is ongoing with Drake, and it takes two sides to come to a deal. But there’s been good dialogue as we move forward."
Batherson was equally open when I spoke with him earlier in the offseason, and when I asked about maybe getting something done this summer, he said he was hopeful that it would happen.
"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."
For an organization that has a history of star players leaving, including another captain this summer, there's something refreshing about one of its best players apparently saying the exact opposite.
And as the Senators decide who should lead them next, perhaps Batherson just gave them another reason to include his name in that conversation as well.
By Steve Warne
The Hockey News
