Drake Batherson is now the proud owner of the largest contract ever given out by the Ottawa Senators organization. The 28-year-old Nova Scotia native is coming off a career-best 71-point season that had him potting 33 goals. He was also one of the only consistent contributors, with four points, during the Senators’ first-round exit at the hands of the Stanley Cup champions, the Carolina Hurricanes.
Batherson’s contract is an eight-year, $10.75 million AAV (average annual value) contract, which carries a full no-trade clause in the last four years, although Batherson still has one more year left on his current $4.975 million contract. Around the league, there are a few players who are quite similar to Batherson in age, production, and style of play, so how does this deal compare?
Adrian Kempe
The Los Angeles Kings’ winger had the deal that was most comparable during Batherson’s negotiations. Kempe will be entering the first year of his eight-year deal this upcoming season with a $10.625 million AAV contract. Kempe and Batherson share very similar career trajectories, as their point totals are quite similar, with Kempe having the edge with a career-high 75. Kempe, however, is also two years older than Batherson, with Kempe turning 30 on Sept. 13th.
Kempe’s deal is good value for the Kings, as he’s going to be Artemi Panarin’s running mate for the next few years. It seems that Kempe may find himself playing centre this year as well, with Anze Kopitar’s retirement and Quinton Byfield is still struggling to establish himself as a legitimate top-line centre. Comparing the two deals, both work for their respective teams and provide fair value, with Batherson’s age being a benefit for the Senators.
Alex Tuch
The Washington Capitals went out during this year’s free agency and got the best available forward, and it came with a cost, with Alex Tuch signing an eight-year, $10.5 million AAV deal. Tuch signed this deal on the other side of 30 and still provides immense offensive value to his teams. He has averaged over 65 points over the last four seasons, with a high of 79 in 2022-23. There is concern with this deal, though, as Tuch is the oldest player on this list and his point totals stagnated on a wildly successful Buffalo Sabres team. Although, shortly after signing the deal, Tuch's new contract was ranked one of the worst in the league according to the Athletic.
The Capitals will most likely be a better team than Buffalo this season, considering their offseason additions and the division they’re in, but with the rising cap, it does seem like the new normal for a 60+ point player is a $10+ million AAV contract. Looking at these two deals, Batherson’s, despite being a slightly higher AAV, would be the more preferred. But with Alex Ovechkin’s future seemingly year by year, getting an impact forward like Tuch is a smart move for their competitive window.
Pavel Dorofoyev
Dorofoyev now finds himself a member of the New York Rangers and, starting this year, $11M a year richer for the next seven years. At the draft, the cap-crunched Vegas Golden Knights needed to make a move, and that was trading the 26-year-old Russian winger to the Rangers for a 2026 1st-round pick, a 2028 1st-round pick, and a 2026 3rd-round pick. Dorofoyev just hit a career high with 37 goals and 27 assists, leaping past the previous year’s point totals by 12. Dorofoyev is a pure sniper who is an asset on any power play, and the expectation is he’ll play with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere. In Vegas, his most common line mates were Mitch Marner, Tomas Hertl, Ivan Barbashev, and Jack Eichel, which is a bit different than the talent on the Rangers.
Dorofoyev may have difficulty improving his point totals this coming year on a significantly worse Rangers team, but it’s not out of the question at all. Batherson has had a bit more proven production than Dorofoyev, and for that reason, his contract looks better from a monetary point of view. However, if Dorofoyev is able to acclimatize and continue to grow his game like he has, his contract will be a steal for a consistent 40-goal scorer.
Overall, Batherson’s new contract shows the trajectory the NHL is going with the salary cap, yet his contract stacks up fairly evenly with many of the players of similar calibre to him. If Batherson is able to find more consistency and even become a point-per-game player, this contract will age like a fine wine. If he plateaus as a 70-point player, the contract still looks very good.
Add us as a preferred source on Google