Earlier this week, Ottawa Senators GM Steve Staios spoke to the media and reiterated that both the team and star forward Drake Batherson share a desire to work out a long-term extension that keeps the winger in Ottawa for the foreseeable future.
But despite that mutual interest in signing an extension, talks remain ongoing without any final agreement. Yesterday, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reported that the Senators and Batherson still “aren’t close to a deal.”
According to Garrioch, despite ongoing talks between the Senators and Batherson’s agent, Paul Capizzano of Quartexx, the parties still have gaps to navigate.
While Batherson won’t become an unrestricted free agent until July, both parties will need to reach an agreement before Sept. 15 if they want to sign a deal with an eight-year term.
Additionally, league rules about the distribution of signing bonuses and other financial terms on contracts change on Sept. 15.
It’s largely viewed that the new terms don’t allow for as favorable contract structures for players. For those reasons, it’s likely that Batherson would be best-served finding a way to reach an agreement before that date.
Garrioch noted that Washington Capitals forward Alex Tuch and Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe are being pointed to as comparables for any Batherson deal. Kempe, 29, signed an eight-year extension with the Kings worth $10.625MM annually.
Tuch signed with the Capitals as a UFA on a deal worth $10.5MM annually over eight years.
If Batherson receives a deal around $10MM+ with an eight-year term, he would become the highest-paid player on the Senators. The team’s highest-paid forwards, defensemen, and goalies all carry AAVs in the $8MM range.