Report: Senators sign Drake Batherson to eight-year extension
The Ottawa Senators are going all in on Drake Batherson. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the team has signed the right winger to an eight-year contract worth $86 million with an average annual value of $10.75 million before Tuesday’s deadline, which would have limited his term to a maximum of seven years.
Both sides worked down to the wire to reach a deal, repeatedly saying they wanted a contract in place before the start of the season. On Sunday, Ottawa Citizen beat reporter Bruce Garrioch reported that “time is of the essence,” as the deal ticked toward completion just under the wire. Now agreed, it ranks as the most lucrative contract in franchise history,
While Batherson could have waited past Tuesday and still had a seven-year option in discussions, or held out until next summer for a potential six-year deal as an unrestricted free agent, securing a long-term contract at 28 years old remained a priority.
During the 2025-26 season, Batherson scored 33 goals and 71 points in 79 games with the Senators, and has lofted his career totals to 149 goals and 364 points in 470 career games, since making his NHL debut in 2018-19.
Before joining the Senators, Batherson played three seasons in the QMJHL, skating with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles for parts of four seasons before finishing his junior career with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. In that time, he also suited up for Canada at the World Juniors, scoring seven goals in as many games to secure a gold medal.
Other international experience includes a call to the Canadian team for the 2022 IIHF World Championship, where he posted three goals and 14 points, helping Canada to the gold medal final before falling to Finland and settling for silver.
With the Senators, Batherson hasn’t missed a beat, given he was locked in for the upcoming season prior to the new deal. Now, the focus turns from the negotiation table to the ice, as the Senators prepare to open the 2026 preseason schedule against the Montreal Canadiens with Kraft Hockeyville on Sept. 21 in Taber, Alberta, before their regular season opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 3.
