One of the ongoing narratives heading into this season will be the fate of Drake Batherson. As we’ve outlined in previous articles, Batherson is an impending UFA with little progress in extension talks.
Naturally, the longer the impasse continues, the more trade talk should pick up. If it ends up heading down that path, one heck of a stunner could be in the works.
Before discussing what a trade could end up looking like, it’s worth pointing out that such an outcome would be a last resort. The Senators will do everything they can to lock Batherson up. The problem, however, wouldn’t be a matter of the willingness to do it.
It has to do with the market dynamics. The salary inflation in the NHL has made it increasingly challenging for teams around the league to lock up their players at reasonable price points. We’ve also discussed how much it would take the Senators to extend Batherson, based on his perceived value.
That said, if the Senators were forced to trade him, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the return be at least four pieces: A first-round pick, a high-end prospect, a roster player, and a mid-tier prospect.
Does that seem exorbitant?
Hardly. There are few top-line scoring wingers out there who could bring the production and goal scoring that Batherson does. That’s why any team wanting to lock him up would have to pay a pretty penny.
Senators may get calls from division rivals
The last thing the Senators would want to do is trade Batherson to a division rival. But it wouldn’t be strange to hear chatter about the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, or even Buffalo Sabres inquiring about Batherson’s availability.
There would also be West Coast teams like the Seattle Kraken, LA Kings, and Edmonton Oilers willing to kick the tires on Batherson.
The only question would be how much these clubs would be willing to pay. Since Batherson won’t come cheap, the Senators will have to be patient.
It’s also worth pointing out that the Sens shouldn’t expect to find a suitable replacement for Batherson in a trade with whoever acquires him. The best path forward would be to operate similarly to the Brady Tkachuk trade. Ottawa could use the pieces acquired in a separate trade to land a suitable replacement for their top six.
Yes, it’s a complex scenario. So, let’s hope it doesn’t get to that point. Let’s just hope it’s one of those things where the two sides work something out long before it becomes a real issue.
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