In an earlier piece, we looked at the possibility of the Ottawa Senators having to trade Drake Batherson if a contract extension becomes impossible.
While we don’t think that will be the case, there’s always that chance.
And there’s a trade thesis that might actually work out for all sides. One of the teams we posited could be interested in Batherson is the Seattle Kraken. Seattle has been big-game hunting for a long time. They missed out on some big swings involving Jason Robertson and Artemi Panarin. So, just because the Kraken have missed, it doesn’t mean they have given up.
Enter Batherson and the Senators.
Assuming that Batherson and the Sens can’t work out a deal, it might become a plausible outcome for Ottawa to work something out with the Kraken. Meanwhile, the Kraken could move one of the pieces they’ve been rumored to want to shed for a while: Shane Wright.
Wright, the fourth-overall pick from 2022, could be a solid addition for the Sens down the middle. He hasn’t been underwhelming in his time in Seattle, but that may have been a function of the role the organization has given him.
In Ottawa, Wright could get a fresh start, potentially finding his footing as a top-six center.
Senators would want more than Wright for Batherson
On the whole, the Senators would want to get much more for Batherson than just Wright. Getting Wright would be a good start. But you have to think that a first-round pick and another piece would have to come back the other way.
Even at that point, such a return would seem like a bit of a letdown. The Senators would not actually replace Batherson’s production. Nevertheless, adding a potential top-six center could be tantalizing enough for the Senators to make lemonade out of this possible lemon.
Wright may not jump to the forefront of Senators fans’ minds. But it wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize considering the situation that could emerge.
The hardest part of this entire discussion is the timing. There’s really no telling if there is some sort of firm timeline for a Batherson trade. It’s highly unlikely that it would happen this summer. Unless Batherson’s camp told the Senators he’s definitely not re-signing, the situation will most assuredly head into the season. At that point, a deal may happen.
So, the most realistic timeline could be closer to the NHL trade deadline. However, as we saw last season, the first batch of major trades could happen at some point between American Thanksgiving and the Holiday trade freeze.
Let’s hope it just doesn’t come to that point.
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