Ottawa Senators fans won’t like what the latest update on forward Drake Batherson has to offer.
The Sens are facing a bit of an uncertain situation with the 28-year-old, as he enters the final year of his current contract.
Of course, the plan is to lock Batherson up for good. Ideally, another eight-year deal would make sense. However, a troubling report by Bruce Garrioch in the Ottawa Citizen posits that the Senators and Batherson “aren’t close to an agreement”.
That’s no bueno any way you slice it.
The Senators don’t have any real question marks heading into next season beyond Batherson’s contract status. The need for a new deal isn’t the problem. The problem is that the sticker price for all top-line players has gone up.
Garrioch cited comments by GM Steve Staios, essentially blaming the Leo Carlsson offer sheet by the Philadelphia Flyers as the main culprit for the inflation in player salaries.
“As far as the market, it’s changed, it’s shifted, but we’re well-prepared to be able to manage that.”
So, what does it mean for Batherson, the Senators, and fans?
It could mean that the rising salary cap will force the Senators to pay up for Batherson, lest they risk losing him for peanuts.
Senators will look to this comparable for Batherson’s new contract
The big question will be how much the Senators will have to pay to keep Batherson. According to Garrioch, the closest comparable will be that of LA Kings’ winger Adrian Kempe.
Kempe signed an extension this past season to the tune of eight years and $85 million. That’s a $10.6 million cap hit. Considering that Kempe and Batherson have similar production, it might be a fair comparison.
However, Kempe signed his contract BEFORE the Leo Carlsson offer sheet. And as Staios pointed out, we’re looking at severe inflation stemming from said offer sheet.
So, could Batherson be looking at something in between, say, Jason Robertson and Connor Bedard? Bedard got $15 million AAV for lower production than Batherson. Meanwhile, Robertson got $12 million on a one-year deal after scoring 40 goals.
Robertson is a bit of a particular case, in which both sides decided to punt on this season and work out a long-term deal later on.
Be that as it may, the Senators will have to pay up to keep Robertson. The salary cap ceiling will be going up the next couple of seasons. So, there’s plenty of reason to think that Batherson’s camp will want to get the right number based on the fact that the market is already pricing in the cap increases.
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