The Ottawa Senators held media availability today during their 2026 Senators Charity Open, and we received some clarity on the Drake Batherson contract front.
According to Claire Hanna of TSN, Steve Staios, while not providing an update on the details, reassured that the negotiations between Batherson and the Senators are ongoing. Staios called Batherson an ‘important player’ and said that he wants to remain in Ottawa, and upper management shares that sentiment.
The discussion has only intensified with the looming Sept. 15 deadline of the NHL’s new CBA, which would ultimately lose both sides’ ability to ink an eight-year contract.
This new agreement dictates that the maximum length of years a player can sign to stay with their current club on their next contract is seven, contrary to eight before. The 28-year-old right-winger is in the final year of a six-year, $29.85MM ($4.975MM AAV) contract that expires next season, when Batherson will be an unrestricted free agent.
If he reaches that point, he can command more money on the open market; however, his maximum term, per the new CBA, would be a six-year contract if he were to sign elsewhere. Last year, he posted a career-best 33 goals for 71 points.
Additional Senators Notes:
Tim Stutzle was surprised by the Brady Tkachuk trade to Florida, according to Hanna of TSN. Tkachuk joined forces with his brother Matthew, and in return, Ottawa received four draft picks, three first-round picks, including this year’s ninth and 25th overall selections, a 2029 first, and a 2027 second-round pick.
Despite losing their captain, the German star is moving on;
“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.”
Stutzle is poised for another team-leading season, finishing 2025-26 just one point off a 50-assist campaign for 83 points, leading all forwards in average time on ice with 20:16 per game. He enters the fourth year of an eight-year, $66.8MM contract, which could be the first where he might wear the ‘C’.
A few of his teammates are also in the running for that honor.
Thomas Chabot could also be in the running for the captaincy with the Senators. Although he felt slighted when Tkachuk left, he feels that there is something building in Ottawa that will require the players they have in the room;
“We always do. You want guys to be here.
You want guys to want to be part of this team and city. .we felt like we’re on the verge of starting to make playoffs and building something.
.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.”
The 29-year-old said it’s be an honor for him to be next as Senators captain. Earlier this summer, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reported the Senators were “closing in on a decision on who will replace” Tkachuk as captain.
Garrioch identified Stutzle and Chabot as well as No. 1 defenseman Jake Sanderson as the “top three candidates for the post.”