With the Senators still trying to sort out where they stand, the biggest questions around the team keep circling back to the same place: who stays, who goes, and what kind of ceiling this group really has.
Drake Batherson is right at the center of that conversation. Recent reports say the Senators and Batherson are not close on an extension, and that has opened the door to all kinds of debate.
His production has always made him one of the more valuable pieces on the roster, and his contract has been part of that appeal. But the other side of the ledger has never gone away.
His consistency and his work away from the puck have still left plenty to be desired, even if he has delivered for Ottawa more often than not. The question is no longer whether Batherson helps the team - he does - but whether keeping him in the core makes the most sense if the price keeps climbing.
With the market inflating, the Senators have to be careful with their money, and if the gap is truly wide, exploring Batherson’s trade value might not be the worst idea.
Patrik Laine is another name that invites a similar kind of gamble, just for very different reasons. There was a stretch when he looked like a future superstar, the type of player who could threaten 50 goals on a regular basis.
Instead, his career has been derailed by injuries, personal issues and contract holdouts, and at 28 he is still trying to claw his way back to the level people expected. He’s now a UFA and not drawing a long list of suitors.
His latest run with the Canadiens was slowed by injuries, and his value has continued to fall. That leaves Ottawa with a simple question: is Laine worth a low-risk shot?
At 28, there’s still time for him to recover some version of his game, but only if he can stay healthy long enough to show it.
The bigger picture for Ottawa is the one that will shape everything else. The season is about two months away, and the Senators still sit in that awkward space where nobody seems fully sure whether they’re a playoff team or a club that has slipped back.
The belief here is that this is still a strong group, one that can do damage if it stays healthy. But the division and conference keep getting tougher, and it feels like there may still be a missing piece.
Even so, there’s real anticipation around seeing the team with a more reassured Linus Ullmark and a fresh look at leadership. The Senators showed flashes of excellent hockey at the start of last season and again in the finish.
Whether William Eklund’s arrival can be the difference-maker is a major part of that equation.
Then there’s Erik Karlsson, a name that never really leaves the conversation in Ottawa. The idea of a reunion has been floating around for years, and the latest chatter only adds more fuel.
Reports suggest the Penguins may not be eager to extend the 36-year-old defenceman beyond his current contract and could look to trade him before the season begins. Karlsson is entering the final year of an eight-year deal worth $11.5M AAV, and he just completed his best season in Pittsburgh.
Still, the direction of the team seems to be changing. Toronto has also been mentioned as a possible landing spot, with talk of Karlsson following the lead of his mentor Alfie.
If Ottawa were ever to get back into that mix, the real issue would be fit: can Karlsson slot into this version of the Senators, and would he lift them enough to matter?
Whatever happens with the roster, there’s no denying the mood around the organization has changed. New ownership has not been perfect, but it has brought a different energy.
The most noticeable shift might be the way fans view the team now. There is more trust in management, more confidence that the plan has a direction, even when not every move makes immediate sense.
Travis Green has said this group is closer to a Cup win than when he first arrived, and while that may be a more optimistic read than most, the overall feeling around the team is clearly better. For a while, it seemed like the cloud from Brady Tkachuk could undo years of reconnecting with the fanbase.
Instead, the way the organization handled it quickly brought back some of that positivity. Now the wish list is simple: a downtown arena, and a few more playoff-round wins.
In Other News...
Drake Batherson Contract Standoff Puts Ottawa In A Tough Spot
Drake Bathersons contract talks have become one of the more delicate issues on Ottawas offseason board, and the gap between player and team appears significant. Batherson has established himself as an important piece of the Senators forward group, but his next deal has to fit within a salary structure the club has been careful to protect, with Tim Stutzle sitting at the top of the payroll.
The challenge is timing as much as money. Ottawa has a limited window to get an extension done before the situation hardens, and the comparison to players who have recently landed major deals only adds to the pressure on both sides. For a team trying to keep its core intact without upsetting its internal hierarchy, this is the sort of negotiation that can shape the rest of the summer. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Home Schedule Puts Early Focus On Their Biggest Tests
The Senators home calendar is starting to take shape, and it gives an early sense of where the pressure points will be at Canadian Tire Centre this season. Ottawas slate includes visits from the defending champion Florida Panthers, the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens, along with the San Jose Sharks, setting up a mix of heavyweight matchups and familiar rivalry nights that should give the building plenty of juice.
For Ottawa, the schedule is also a reminder that the home-ice stretch will matter beyond the marquee names. The team is leaning into its season-seat options and the Sens On Demand program while single-game tickets remain closer to the start of the season, a familiar ramp-up for fans who like to plan around those bigger dates on the calendar. The early focus now is simply on when those games land and how the Senators handle them once the puck drops. [Read more 🡒]