Ottawa Senators Ink Drake Batherson to Massive 8-Year Deal

The Ottawa Senators have signed Drake Batherson to an eight-year extension with an average annual value (AAV) of $10.75 million, and $86 million total.

This deal comes in just ahead of the Sept. 15 deadline, which brings changes to the length and structure of contracts, dictated by the new collective bargaining agreement.

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Batherson is coming off of a career-best 33 goals and 71 points. He has been increasing his output every single season, and has become a staple in the top-six of their group.

His current contract is among the best in the league, with just a $4.95 million AAV for a total of six years. He was due for a significant pay increase, and that is just what he got. With comparable players like Adrian Kempe and Alex Tuch crossing the $10 million threshold, it was expected that Batherson would as well.

Batherson Earned Massive Payday

Where Batherson shines the brightest is in the offensive zone and on the power play. He has an excellent one-timer, loves to pick his spots, and can be a shooting threat from everywhere in the zone. To go along with his goal-scoring, Batherson is also an excellent playmaker with a great vision of the ice.

Since being drafted as an over-ager in 2017, Batherson played one more season in the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, followed by two American Hockey League years, and since then, the sky has been the limit.

Through 470 career games, Batherson has recorded 364 points, which already sits in the top 10 in franchise history.

If Batherson sticks around for all of the next eight seasons and can stay healthy, there is a path to 1,000 games, and certainly a path to the second all-time points spot, which is currently Jason Spezza with 687.

With Spezza and Alexei Yashin having both worn the jersey number 19, and now Batherson, which player will end up being the best number 19 in Senators history? Could Batherson be the one to get the number up in the rafters some day?

Senators Have Great Cap Situation Moving Forward

Even with Batherson signing the biggest contract in franchise history, the Senators are still in good shape with the salary cap moving forward. They are currently projected to have just under $30 million next offseason, and while there is work to do, they have the room to do it.

They have four forwards on expiring deals, including Andre Burakovsky, Michael Amadio, Warren Foegele, and Claude Giroux. All of those players should be relatively inexpensive if they are brought back, but those spots could also be filled externally or with youngsters like Kasper Halttunen or Blake Montgomery.

On defense, Artem Zub and Tyler Kleven both need new deals, as well as their seventh defenseman, Nikolas Matinpalo. Goaltender Leevi Merilainen will be a restricted free agent as well.

Even if each of these players are on the higher end of what could be expected, the Senators will still have some room.

The entire core group of forwards, including Tim Stutzle, Dylan Cozens, William Eklund, Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto, are all signed for at least three more seasons. With the way the cap is going up, only having to worry about re-signing depth players gives them a lot of freedom.

Even on defense, Jake Sanderson is signed until 2032, Jordan Spence just got a four-year deal, and Thomas Chabot has two years until he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Having these players locked in long-term early on has been great for the club, and is only getting better and better as time passes.