The Senators and Drake Batherson still want the same thing: a long-term deal that keeps the winger in Ottawa for years to come. The problem, according to reporting from Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch, is that the two sides are not close yet.
Ottawa GM Steve Staios said earlier this week that the club and Batherson both want to work out an extension. Even so, negotiations are still moving along without a final agreement, and Garrioch reported yesterday that the Senators and Batherson still “aren’t close to a deal.”
Batherson’s agent, Paul Capizzano of Quartexx, remains in talks with the team, but there are still gaps to bridge. That timing matters because Batherson cannot become an unrestricted free agent until July, and if Ottawa wants to sign him to an eight-year contract, the deal has to be done before Sept.
- After that date, league rules on signing-bonus distribution and other financial terms change, and those new rules are generally seen as less player-friendly when it comes to contract structure.
That gives Batherson and the Senators a pretty clear deadline, and it may work in the winger’s favor to get something done before then.
Garrioch pointed to Washington Capitals forward Alex Tuch and Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe as comparables. Kempe, 29, landed an eight-year extension worth $10.625MM per year, while Tuch signed with the Capitals as a UFA on an eight-year deal carrying a $10.5MM annual value.
If Batherson lands somewhere in the $10MM-plus range on an eight-year term, he would become the highest-paid player on the Senators. Ottawa’s top-paid forwards, defensemen and goalies are all sitting in the $8MM range. Still, with salaries climbing sharply around the league this summer, it’s hard to picture Batherson settling for much less.
The 28-year-old isn’t a point-per-game force, but he has been one of the NHL’s steadier top-six wingers. Batherson has posted at least 65 points in three straight seasons and set career highs with 33 goals and 71 points in 2025-26. Since turning 23, he has put up 126 goals and 311 points in 371 games, which works out to a 28-goal, 69-point pace over an 82-game season.
That scoring profile sits just below Kempe’s, though Kempe brings more goal production. It also lands in the same general range as Tuch, which is why Batherson has a strong case to push for, or even top, $10MM a year on his next contract. As Garrioch has reported, both sides want him in a Senators sweater well into the 2030s.
For now, though, the distance between the two sides is still there. The big question is whether that gap can be closed before Sept. 15.
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