A couple of years ago, it wasn’t hard to find an Ottawa Senators fan willing to drive Drake Batherson to the airport.
Not to catch the team charter, but to get on a plane out of town.
The likeable winger was in one of his dry spells as a scorer and, more so then, was not going to remind anyone of a Selke Trophy candidate for his defensive prowess. With the team winning here and losing there, in a kind of treadmill pattern, Batherson was a popular target of derision on Ottawa’s post-game radio call-in shows.
As late as 2025, Batherson was a popular trade deadline rumour.
Ground can shift quickly in the NHL. Reputations change. As do salary landscapes.
And so it is that no one is batting an eye at Batherson’s glittering new eight-year contract paying the 28-year-old an average salary of $10.75 million through the 2034-35 NHL season. It’s the largest contract in Senators history. Hello, 2026.
Not long ago, this would have been cited as “stupid” money for a player who has not approached an 80-point season, let alone 100.
But NHL salaries have experienced a dramatic reboot with an expanded cap and recent eye-popping contracts to the likes of Leo Carlsson and his infamous offer sheet.
Eleven million used to be the domain of the upper tier of NHL talent, the neighbourhood of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Now, being a shade under an $11-million AAV means Batherson is in with the likes of forwards Adrian Kempe ($10.6M) and Alex Tuch ($10.5M).
An avid golfer, Batherson will get that he’s on par with those two.
The deal features a full no-move clause over the first four years, a limited no-trade thereafter, and $30 million in bonus money. This is another fresh development – Ottawa dishing out bonus contracts. A sure sign that owner Michael Andlauer is serious about being competitive with the NHL big boys.
Batherson spoke to us Tuesday, not long after his ship came in.
“I’m really excited,” Batherson said. And no, he did not have Benjamin Franklins spilling out of his pants pockets.
“Obviously they’ve been working on it pretty much all summer and I’m glad it got done before training camp. Now I can just relax and play hockey.”
Batherson said that as recently as the start of the summer, he had no inkling his contract number would “land” where it did. Stuff happens, man. Right player, right place, right time.
“Where the league’s going and how high the salary cap’s going... it’s going to keep growing and I think that’s awesome for all the players,” he said.
Over the phone, he was joking with his dad about the personal journey. Remember that 17-year-old who scored four goals at the Junior A level?
“I’ve come a long way since then,” Batherson said in understatement.
When he got the news, Batherson was having a barbecue with teammates Jake Sanderson and Stephen Halliday. And yes, Batherson paid for the steaks. Plenty more where that beef came from.
Along with league finances, a couple of other prominent factors are at play here:
1. Batherson was one of the few Senators who elevated his game in Ottawa’s two recent playoff series, last spring and the year before. Batherson has four goals and two assists in 10 post-season games, including three goals and a helper in the four-game sweep by Carolina in the 2026 first-round series. Management has identified him as a keeper.
It’s not as though Batherson was a slouch in the regular season, either.
With 33 goals and 38 assists for 71 points, only centre Tim Stutzle had better numbers – 34 goals and 83 points.
2. With erstwhile captain Brady Tkachuk having fled to Florida following a listless playoff performance, the return of Batherson sends a signal that the Senators are determined to stop the bleeding and keep their best players.
“Drake exemplifies what it is to be an Ottawa Senator,” said general manager Steve Staios in a statement. “He was drafted and developed by our organization and has shown a commitment to wanting to be in Ottawa long term. We view him as a key part of the core group.”
As for the Tkachuk departure, Batherson echoes his teammates with their ‘to-each-his-own’ comments.
“As a player, you have the right to do what you want with your career,” Batherson said. “Different guys have different beliefs on where they want to go... for me, this is where I call home and wanted to be.”
Repeatedly, Batherson referred to the Senators as family. Not just the players and coaches but all the staff, from the same equipment guys he met in 2017 at his first Ottawa development camp to security guards and even fans.
“My dad can fly here from Halifax and have 10 guys to play golf with,” he said.
It doesn’t hurt his cause that Batherson, a Nova Scotia resident, trains in the off-season with fellow East-Coasters Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Brad Marchand. Rubbing shoulders with that elite trio has made Batherson a better competitor.
Though not overnight. Before one of his first sessions, Batherson got lit into by Marchand, who called him seriously out of shape. He used the ‘F’ word. No, not that one. The other one, associated with body shaming.
I know, Marchand would chirp the parish priest if he saw an opening. But he meant it. If you want to hang with us, you have to look the part. Be committed. Despite his affable manner, Batherson felt that zinger and made instant changes to his regimen.
All to the benefit of the Senators and now to the prosperity of No. 19.
The timing was exquisite. Not only does training camp begin on Wednesday, but Tuesday was the deadline to get a max eight-year deal done with a player’s home team. Nothing like a little pressure point to get two sides to an agreement.
Should Staios have opted for seven years instead? Surely Batherson would have signed for one-year less, and he will be 37 when this deal expires.
We’ll have lots of time to revisit that one, but bringing back a core player at eight years does remind everyone that Ottawa can be a long-term destination. The longest of terms, actually. And after No. 7’s act, it’s a welcome message.
The multi-millionaire thanked owner Andlauer and GM Staois for the confidence shown.
“I’m glad they have faith in me and I’ll do my best out there to help this team win a championship.”
Batherson was asked if he could ever have imagined making more money than Crosby.
“I definitely don’t deserve to make more money than him, ever,” Batherson said.
We’ll see. By any measure, Crosby is underpaid. One of these years, Crosby will slow down. Batherson, hopefully, has upside as a producer and leader.
As daunting as it might seem to remain productive in the later years of this deal, Batherson has a couple of training partners in Nova Scotia who have demonstrated how to remain at or near the top of their games for a very long time.
