Drake Batherson’s future in Ottawa is suddenly a situation worth watching, and it could have a real ripple effect for the Canadiens.
The Senators forward could be on track to hit unrestricted free agency next summer, which would make him available with no trade cost attached. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen reported that general manager Steve Staios has to get an extension done with Batherson’s agent, Paul Capizzano, before October 3. If that doesn’t happen before the season begins, Batherson would become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2027.
That possibility is exactly the kind of opening a team like Montreal would monitor closely. The Canadiens have been searching for more offense for months, and Batherson would fit that conversation in a big way.
He’s coming off a strong year with 71 points, including 33 goals, production that would naturally put him on the radar of several teams if he reaches the market. His $4.975 million salary is also a key part of the picture, because that number looks pretty manageable for a player producing at that level.
There’s another layer here that makes the Canadiens angle stand out: Batherson used to be a client of Kent Hughes when Hughes worked as an agent. That past relationship could make talks a little easier if Batherson actually becomes available in free agency.
For now, though, nothing has been settled. Ottawa still has time to try to lock him up, and the next few weeks will decide whether this stays a Senators issue or turns into a much bigger one for Montreal.
In Other News...
Canadiens Suddenly Have A Sam Montembeault Decision Worth Watching
With the Canadiens carrying more than enough goaltending depth to at least entertain the idea of a move, Sam Montembeault has quietly become a name worth monitoring. Montreal has spent enough time building up its crease to create options, and that alone makes the veteran netminder a different kind of asset than he might have been a year ago. For a team that is still sorting out its bigger picture, it is the sort of situation that can turn a stable position into a trade chip if the right market opens.
Kent Hughes also does not usually operate in the most obvious lanes when he is looking for value, which matters here because a simple goalie-for-pick deal may not be the path he prefers. If Montreal decides Montembeault belongs in play, the return could hinge on a more creative type of transaction, the kind that comes with a player who needs a reset or a contract another club wants to move. The broader goalie market could end up shaping how far that idea goes, and the Canadiens will be watching closely to see whether the right opening ever appears. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Reopen Practice But Dach Questions Are Only Growing
After a one-day closed-door session, the Canadiens were back in front of the public on the ice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard, and the usual practice rhythm returned with it. Fans in attendance got a look at the group as it skated, with Kirby Dach among the players spotted during the open session, a small but notable sight for anyone following the clubs day-to-day health and lineup picture.
The brief shutdown has only added to the curiosity around why the team chose to shut things down in the first place. Montreal has not offered an official explanation for the one-day closed-door practice, leaving the move open to interpretation and keeping attention fixed on the details that matter most to a team that is already being watched closely every time it hits the ice. [Read more 🡒]
Canadiens Suddenly Have More Urgency To Get Arber Xhekaj Signed
Kaiden Guhles recent absence from practice has given the Canadiens another reason to be uneasy as training camp approaches, especially after he was spotted in a tracksuit and then missed the last two sessions in Brossard. Any uncertainty around a young defenseman who has already become a key part of the blue line tends to ripple quickly through the rest of the roster picture, and in Montreal it has only sharpened the focus on the teams defensive depth.
It also adds a little more urgency to Kent Hughes work with Arber Xhekaj, who remains unsigned even while continuing to train with the club. The Canadiens have been carrying on as if the situation will sort itself out, but if Guhle is slowed early in the season, the need for reliable bodies on defense becomes harder to ignore and makes Xhekajs unresolved contract situation loom a lot larger. [Read more 🡒]