{"id":493837,"date":"2026-07-21T07:55:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T11:55:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=493837"},"modified":"2026-07-21T07:19:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T11:19:31","slug":"nhl-rumours-batherson-sens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/07\/21\/nhl-rumours-batherson-sens\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Rumours: The Ottawa Senators and Drake Batherson Going Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today’s edition of NHL Rumours, we look at the one and only Drake Batherson of the Ottawa Senators<\/a>. As of July 1st, Batherson is now able to sign a contract extension with Ottawa. With all the shiny new contracts out there, what could it possibly mean for general manager Steve Staios and staff? Let’s find out. You know what it is, time to get sensational.<\/p>\n

NHL Rumours and the Ottawa Senators Need Drake Batherson<\/h2>\n

Rumour:<\/em> Today’s rumour is from our friends at the Coming In Hot Podcast<\/em>, and focuses on how much Batherson should earn on his next contract, and why it should be in Ottawa.<\/p>\n

Analysis:<\/strong> Drake Batherson is valuable to the Sens lineup, and that was even before Brady Tkachuk left. We study his offensive impact on the Sens and talk about some comparable contracts.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the offseason, we took a look at who the Sens were planning to keep up front. That was before the Brady Tkachuk trade request and subsequent transaction went down, and we put Drake Batherson as an important factor for the Senators then. Now that the roster has shifted even further with the acquisitions of Andre Burakovsky and William Eklund<\/a>, we want to revisit the Sens forward group, with an emphasis on Batherson’s impact. Basically, we just wanted to write a piece on how important Drake Batherson<\/a> is to the 2026-27 Ottawa Senators,<\/a> but with an NHL Rumours angle.<\/p>\n

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Credit Image: \u00a9 Michael Johnson\/Southcreek\/ZUMAPRESS.com<\/span><\/p>\n

The ironic thing about it, is that he is hoping a big 2026-27 can lead to a big-time payday<\/a>. In other words, this season has the potential to be very mutually beneficial for Batherson and the Sens organization. Moreover, it has been discussed at length, that if the Sens management<\/a> were wise, they would try to get the job done early, before Batherson can have a monster 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n

Regarding Batherson’s next deal, there has been plenty of discussion, including some of the recently signed contracts around the NHL. For example, Alex Tuch making an average annual value of $10.5 million, or Trevor Zegras at $9.125 million. The idea is that Batherson’s game, when it comes down to a comparison, stacks up well against those type of players. We will discuss Batherson’s stats in a bit. But for Tuch, he is 30-years-old, has a career high of 79 points, and is a three-time, 30-goal scorer. Meanwhile, Zegras is on the upswing, at 25, and coming off his career-best season of 67 points.<\/p>\n

Studying Batherson’s Impact<\/h3>\n

We have talked about it before, but we will also use it as a comparison to those two. Batherson has been remarkably consistent offensively. In each of the last four seasons, he has been between 62 and 71 points. That culminated with last year’s career highs of 33 goals and 71 points. Also, the year prior to that stretch, in 2021-22, was when he tore it up with Tkachuk and Joshua Norris, recording 44 points in 46 games.<\/p>\n

There is a possibility Batheeson does have a big offensive season, as well. As good as Brady Tkachuk<\/a> is at generating offence and being an ultimate power forward, he is not particularly good at being efficient. Conversely, that is an area that Batherson is strong in.<\/p>\n

According to Moneypuck<\/a>, in 2025-26, Batherson had 23.9 expected goals versus 33 total goals. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum was Tkachuk at 29.8 expected goals, but only 22 to show for it. Batherson has a way of slowing the game down, finding open players or shots, and capitalizing. As more of an offensive leader, given Tkachuk’s departure, he could change the makeup of the Sens attack.<\/p>\n

One key point is that Batherson will be much more of a leader for the Sens offensively, now with Brady having moved on.\u00a0Now, Tim Stutzle<\/a> will have something to say for that overall. But he should get his points, regardless of the makeup of the forward group. Meanwhile, we really think it is Batherson that has the responsibility of the team’s overall offence.<\/p>\n

His soft hands, deceptive shot, and playmaking abilities will all help to drive offence on the top power play unit, as well as the 5v5 line he finds himself on.<\/p>\n

So, as we wrap up NHL Rumours, we have to consider that the debate goes on. Should Staios get Batherson to put pen to paper this season? Or wait to see how it plays out, and Batherson bets on himself for a big-time offensive 2026-27? Either way, it seems the consensus is that he lands somewhere around $10-11 million. The good thing for the Sens, as the salary cap continues to climb, it shouldn’t have a big impact on their overall depth.<\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images<\/p>\n