The Drake Batherson extension has turned into one of the more interesting contract watches around the Ottawa Senators, and the timing could matter just as much as the dollars.
With the September 15 deadline looming, there’s been a sense that something needs to happen soon. The incoming Collective Bargaining Agreement will change some of the rules for future contracts, so getting a deal done before that cutoff would give both sides more certainty. But Elliotte Friedman says the hold-up isn’t really about the CBA itself.
On the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Friedman pointed to the way the market has shifted over the summer.
“Just the ground has shifted so much. And you know, Batherson’s number, from where the summer started to where we are now, it’s gone up like a lot of other players.”
That’s the key issue here. Batherson and the Senators may have gone into the summer with one number in mind, but the market has moved underneath them. The Leo Carlsson offer sheet, along with extensions for younger players like Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, has reset expectations for players who are coming up next.
Makar’s contract isn’t a significant factor here.
What’s really pushing prices is the money handed out to Carlsson, Bedard, Celebrini, and soon Cutter Gauthier.
Friedman used a simple example to show how that affects negotiations.
“Let’s just say, for argument’s sake, for Batherson, we’re talking 8x10. Okay, well, an agent’s going to say, ‘If it was 8x10, guess what? Now, it’s 7x11.5’”
That’s the reality Ottawa is dealing with. It’s not about Batherson trying to wring every last dollar out of the Senators. It’s about a market that has changed fast, leaving both sides to adjust.
There’s also a clear reason to get something done before the deadline. Batherson is 28, which changes the shape of the deal. An eight-year extension would make the most sense for him, and it would run him through about his age-36 season, basically locking him into the rest of his career in Ottawa.
That’s a very different situation from a younger player like Celebrini, who was still 19 when he signed his extension. Younger players can afford to think shorter term because they have time on their side.
Batherson and the Senators do not have that luxury. If they want the longest possible term, now is the time to strike. Waiting until next summer could leave Ottawa with a maximum of six years instead of eight.
And Batherson would not be short on interest if he reaches the market. The difference is how many seasons a new team could offer. For the Senators, that makes the coming days especially important.
In Other News...
Senators Just Made A Huge Drake Batherson Commitment
Drake Batherson has long been one of the more reliable pieces of the Senators core, and now Ottawa has made it clear it intends to keep it that way. The right winger, who has been a steady performer since his NHL debut in 2018-19 and also brings Team Canada experience, agreed to a major new deal before the trade deadline, giving the club some much-needed certainty around a player who has become central to its plans.
For Ottawa, the timing matters as much as the player. Batherson is 28 and still squarely in his prime, which makes this the kind of commitment the organization can build around as it tries to take the next step. It also sends a strong message about how the Senators view him within the room and within the broader direction of the franchise, even as the details of the agreement place him in rare company among the teams all-time contracts. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Knies Enters Camp With One Leafs Question Still Hanging
Matthew Knies spent part of the summer talking about golf, but the conversation around him has been a lot less relaxed. On the Leafs Morning Take podcast, the Maple Leafs forward said draining a hole-in-one took some of the pressure off his game and gave him something lighter to smile about after a season that included a knee injury and plenty of attention around his name.
Knies also looked back on a year that brought a career-high in points while leaving him dissatisfied with parts of his defensive play, and he sounded eager to put the whole stretch behind him as camp opens. For Toronto, the bigger question is less about what he has already shown and more about how he handles the next step after a summer of uncertainty and recovery. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Face A Telling Camp Decision On Their Final Blue-Line Spot
The Senators head into training camp with one of their more interesting lineup questions sitting on the blue line, where the final defense spot could help define how aggressively they want to lean into youth. Carter Yakemchuk, a former first-round pick, is expected to get a long look in a sheltered third-pairing role so Ottawa can start building his NHL experience without asking too much of him too soon.
Nikolas Matinpalo is also in the mix, giving the club a different kind of depth option as it sorts out how best to balance development and reliability. Ottawa has made it clear it wants to see what its young players can handle at the NHL level, and the next few weeks should show whether this opening is really Yakemchuks to lose or whether the Senators prefer a more flexible arrangement on the back end. [Read more 🡒]