Drake Batherson to miss Senators’ season opener, out day-to-day

The Ottawa Senators will be without one of their best forwards in their regular-season opener on Thursday.

Drake Batherson told media on Wednesday that he would not play in the Senators’ matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning and is considered day-to-day. However, he added that he hasn’t been ruled out for Ottawa’s Saturday contest against the Florida Panthers.

According to TSN 1200 Ottawa, Batherson skated with the main group on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury during a practice in training camp. He did not play in any of the Senators’ preseason contests.

Batherson, 27, finished the 2024-25 campaign with 26 goals and 42 assists for 68 points, setting career highs in assists and points. In seven NHL seasons, the Fort Wayne, Ind., native has 116 goals and 177 assists for 293 points in 391 regular-season games, all with the Senators.

He made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut last spring, recording a goal and an assist in six games.

Taken in the fourth round by Ottawa in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Batherson also spent two seasons in the AHL with the Belleville Senators, scoring 38 goals and recording 78 assists for 116 points in 103 regular-season games.

Before turning professional, Batherson spent parts of three seasons in the QMJHL with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. In 122 regular-season games, he posted 51 goals and 86 assists for 137 points. In 2018, he led the QMJHL Playoffs in points with 38 (13 goals and 20 assists) in just 22 games.

Last season, the Senators finished 45-30-7 with 97 points, fourth in the Atlantic Division while clinching the No. 1 Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. They were eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games.

It was Ottawa’s first playoff birth since 2017 when they made it to the Eastern Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins.