With the clock ticking towards Tuesday night’s CBA deadline, multiple sources indicate the Ottawa Senators are closing in on an eight-year extension with 33-goal scorer Drake Batherson.
Exact terms are unclear, but it’s believed to average somewhere between $10.5 million and $11 million per season. It would be the largest contract in franchise history — a major commitment and a relief to the fanbase.
We’ll see what tomorrow brings as new contract rules arrive once the calendar flips to Sept. 16 at midnight Eastern Time. Maximum term drops from eight years to seven for a team’s own free agents; from seven years to six for a player who signs elsewhere. The largest permissible gap in earnings between two consecutive years of a contract drops from 25 per cent to 20, and the lowest season of any contract can’t pay less than 71 per cent of the highest. (The previous margin was 60.)
Two of the biggest unresolved cases for 2026-27 are Adam Fantilli (Columbus) and Cutter Gauthier (Anaheim). There was some optimism in Gauthier’s case, less so for Fantilli, but deadlines spur action and one phone call can change everything. Don’t be surprised, though, if teams/players who are unsigned for 2027-28 also try to take advantage, knowing they won’t be able to do next summer what they can do through Tuesday night.
Tick, tock.
