The Ottawa Senators and forward Drake Batherson are trying to get an eight-year contact extension completed.
Tuesday, September 15 is the final date that NHL teams can sign their players to eight-year contract extensions before new CBA rules kick in and the maximum extension becomes seven years.
With that in mind, the Senators and Batherson’s camp are working hard to get a deal done before the deadline.
Senators Trying to Extend Drake Batherson
Per Senators reporter Bruce Garrioch, the Senators are working hard to agree with Batherson’s camp on an eight-year deal before the deadline.
“The Senators and Batherson’s camp are targeting an eight-year extension,” Garrioch wrote on X.
The deal makes sense for both the player and the team, as the Senators would be locking up one of their top players for the next nine years (Batherson still has one more year left on his current contract), while Batherson would be gaining long-term security by signing the longest contract extension that he can under the current CBA before the rules change tomorrow.
Drake Batherson is a Stud for Ottawa
Since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Batherson has played in 470 games with 149 goals and 364 points.
Last year, the 28-year-old Batherson scored 33 goals and 71 points in 79 games, so he should be in line for a nice contract number of an extension.
Given the type of money that is being handed out to players these days, with the NHL salary cap rising, Batherson should be in line for double digits on the average annual value of his next deal, with a starting salary of $10 million not out of the question.
This coming season, the final year on Batherson’s current deal with the Senators, he is set to make $4.975 million, which is an absolute steal of a contract given his production last season.
The Senators are likely going to need to double that number on his next deal, but given how well Batherson has played for Ottawa since making his NHL debut in 2018, the team should have no problem paying him the type of money that he deserves.
Senators Working on 8-Year Extension With Drake Batherson