The Ottawa Senators got a little more clarity on one of their biggest contract questions, and a few more hints about where the captaincy picture stands, during their 2026 Senators Charity Open media availability.
On the Drake Batherson front, Steve Staios did not hand out a fresh update on terms, but he did make one thing clear, according to Claire Hanna of TSN: talks are still active. Staios described Batherson as an “important player” and said the winger wants to stay in Ottawa, with upper management on the same page.
That conversation has only grown louder with the Sept. 15 deadline tied to the NHL’s new CBA. Under the new agreement, teams and players lose the ability to sign eight-year deals, with seven years now the maximum length for a player re-upping with his current club.
Batherson is in the final year of a six-year, $29.85MM ($4.975MM AAV) deal and is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. If he gets there, he could cash in on the open market, though any deal elsewhere would max out at six years under the new rules.
The 28-year-old right wing is coming off a career year with 33 goals and 71 points.
Tim Stutzle also addressed the shock of Brady Tkachuk’s trade to Florida, where Tkachuk linked up with his brother Matthew. Ottawa’s return was four draft picks, including three first-rounders: this year’s ninth and 25th overall selections, a 2029 first, and a 2027 second-round pick.
Stutzle said he was surprised, but made it clear he isn’t dwelling on it.
“If you play with a guy for that many years - a good friend to everyone on the team. You can’t worry about that.
You gotta keep playing. I’m excited for next season.”
The German forward is coming off a big season of his own, finishing 2025-26 with 83 points, just one point shy of a 50-assist year. He also led all Senators forwards in average ice time at 20:16 per game.
He is entering the fourth season of his eight-year, $66.8MM contract, and could be the first player to wear the ‘C’ after Tkachuk. He is not the only name in that mix.
Thomas Chabot is another player being discussed for the role. The 29-year-old admitted he felt slighted when Tkachuk left, but he also stressed that the group in Ottawa believes something is starting to take shape.
“We always do. You want guys to be here.
You want guys to want to be part of this team and city. When you see something like that - I’d be lying to say I was happy when he decided to leave….we felt like we’re on the verge of starting to make playoffs and building something.
I don’t hold anything against him…. I wished him the best of luck for his future & his career.
If you don’t want to be here and you want a chance of scenery that’s fine. But we want to focus on what we have.”
Chabot said it would be an honor to be the next Senators captain. Earlier this summer, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reported Ottawa was “closing in on a decision on who will replace” Tkachuk, and said Stutzle, Chabot and defenseman Jake Sanderson were the “top three candidates for the post.”
In Other News...
Brad Marchand Is Already Stirring Drama Around The Brady Tkachuk Trade
With Brady Tkachuk now in Florida, the Senators are moving into a new era and one of the biggest decisions on the horizon is who will wear the captains letter next. Tim Stutzle has emerged as a finalist, and the conversation got an extra jolt when Brad Marchand, now with the Panthers, weighed in on social media in a way that quickly turned a routine leadership debate into a little more noise than Ottawa probably wanted.
Stutzle brushed it off, saying he does not care and still respects Marchand as a player, while Drake Batherson also got a look at the exchange and called it typical Marchand. For the Senators, the bigger issue is still internal and far more important than an outside chirp, but the teams next captain is being chosen under a brighter spotlight now, and Marchand managed to make sure of that without even putting on a Senators jersey. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Just Opened A Roster Debate Fans Wont Ignore
Eeli Tolvanen is off the board after signing a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Rangers, and that only sharpens the conversation around what Ottawa is trying to build up front. The Senators have already added William Eklund to their forward group, a move that leans further into skill, but Tolvanen would have offered a different layer with his physical edge, finishing touch and ability to move around the lineup.
For Ottawa, the appeal was never just about another scorer. Tolvanen could have fit alongside the teams more creative forwards while also bringing value on the penalty kill, which is the kind of two-way utility contenders tend to covet. Instead, the Senators are left to weigh whether they have enough of that mix already, or whether the spot Tolvanen filled in New York is exactly the sort of opening they still need to address. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Captain Debate Now Centers On A Post Tkachuk Leadership Choice
Brady Tkachuks move to the Florida Panthers has left the Senators with more than a scoring hole to fill, because the captaincy now becomes part of the bigger reset in Ottawa. General manager Steve Staios has said the club does not plan to regress this season, and the conversation around leadership has quickly turned to familiar voices in the room, with veteran Claude Giroux and defenceman Thomas Chabot among the names being discussed.
Chabots case is easy to understand from the Senators side. He has been around long enough to know the organization, has shown the kind of leadership teams lean on when the room needs stability, and has still managed to contribute despite dealing with injuries. For a franchise trying to move forward after losing its captain, the choice is about more than a letter on a jersey, and Ottawa now has to decide which player best fits the next phase of its identity. [Read more 🡒]