The Senators Have a Big Decision to Make on Drake Batherson

There’s an interesting little decision developing in Ottawa, and it has less to do with Drake Batherson’s 33 goals and 71 points last season than it might appear. Batherson is reportedly looking for an eight-year contract extension before the middle of September. And there’s a pretty good reason for the timing.

The current rules allow an eight-year extension. The next collective bargaining agreement is expected to reduce that maximum to seven years.

Suddenly, Ottawa has a decision to make. Normally, the Senators might simply let Batherson play out the final year of his contract, see what happens, and figure out the next step later. But if they want eight years, this is basically their window. And that makes this about more than Batherson.

How Much Does Ottawa Believe in Its Core?

Batherson is coming off the best offensive season of his career. Thirty-three goals and 71 points in 79 games is serious production, especially for a player who also brings some physical play to the lineup. The question isn't whether Batherson is a good player. He is.

The question is whether he's the kind of player Ottawa wants locked into its lineup for the next eight years. That's a different question.

Batherson is already 28. An eight-year contract would take him through his age-35 season. That's a lot of hockey to be buying in advance. Maybe that's exactly what Ottawa should do.

The Senators have spent a lot of time trying to build a young core that can finally turn into a playoff team. At some point, though, you have to stop talking about the future and start deciding which players are actually going to be part of it. Batherson has a pretty good argument for belonging in that group. But eight years is a long time.

The Senators Could Make a Bet on the Player.

Ottawa isn't just deciding how much Drake Batherson is worth today. It's deciding how much it believes he will be worth at 32, 33, 34, and 35. That's the difficult part of NHL contracts. The first few years are usually easy. Everybody is happy when the player is producing, and the contract looks reasonable. It's the back end that tells you whether the organization made the right bet.

That said, teams are betting long-term on players older than Batherson. For example, the Maple Leafs signed 30-year-old Darren Raddysh for the long term, and he’ll be older when his contract ends than Batherson would. Specifically, Raddysh signed an eight-year, $68 million contract with Toronto and will be 38 when it expires. The mood these days seems to be to sign for term and worry about what happens later.

Batherson has earned the right to ask for eight years. Now the Senators have to decide whether they believe enough in him — and in the team they're building around him — to give it to him.