Cale Makar’s record-setting contract has been the talk of the NHL over the last 24 hours or so. So, it’s natural to ask: How does it affect the Ottawa Senators? Specifically, does it change anything insofar as the Drake Batherson dilemma is concerned?
The short answer is no.
There is no comparison between Makar and Batherson, mainly because they’re different types of players. That’s not to say that Batherson somehow isn’t as good as Makar. It’s just that they don’t have the same impact on a team.
So, even if Makar had signed for $100 million per season, it wouldn’t have directly impacted Batherson’s situation with the Senators or any other team. There’s no way that Batherson’s camp can use Makar’s contract as a comp beyond pointing out how salary inflation is taking over the NHL.
And in the grander scheme of things, Senators fans should be happy that this record-breaking contract went to the league’s best DEFENSEMAN.
Had a forward signed it, that would have made things complicated for the Sens.
Makar contract had this effect on Batherson’s situation
There is a long answer in which we can affirm that Makar’s contract has changed things for Batherson. In particular, we’re talking about how the market is changing around the NHL.
When the NHL went ahead with raising the salary cap ceiling, a spike in player salaries was to be expected. What no one really anticipated was that the spike would happen to the extent it did in one summer.
We went from high-end stars in the $12 million to $14 million range (with Kirill Kaprizov at $17 million) to $18 million, and then $20 million.
That situation shouldn’t leave fans bitter about the way the game is trending. It’s just part of the economics of the NHL. In fact, all pro sports are the same way. If you wanted to take it one step further, every market behaves in the same way.
In this case, it’s just the law of supply and demand. There are only so many high-end wingers, defensemen, and goalies in the world. That’s why it’s natural for teams to pay up when they get the chance to land one.
Senators may have no other recourse but to pay up
At the end of the day, the Senators may have no other recourse but to pay up. The organization can’t just find another comparable top-six winger sitting around at a bus stop. So, the Senators may really have no choice but to pay Batherson.
If there’s anything the Senators can learn from the Avalanche, it’s that there’s a time when a team needs to suck it up and bite the bullet.
Unless Steve Staios has an ace up his sleeve, it looks like the Sens will have to bite down hard.
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