Batherson signs 8-year, $86 million contract with Senators

Drake Batherson signed an eight-year, $86 million contract with the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. It begins next season and has an average annual value of $10.75 million.

The 28-year-old forward is entering the final season of a six-year, $29.85 million contract ($4.975 million AAV) he signed Sept. 3, 2021.

"Really excited. Obviously they've been working at it pretty much all summer and excited it got done before training camp and now I can just relax and play some hockey," Batherson said. "Obviously going into last year, you think about, 'Do I want to test the market or do I want to stay here?' And my mind just kept coming back to, I wanted to get a deal done in Ottawa and play here for as long as I can."

Batherson set NHL career highs in goals (33) and points (71) in 79 regular-season games last season and had four points (three goals, one assist) in four Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"Drake exemplifies what it is to be an Ottawa Senator," general manager Steve Staios said. "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 our core group."

Since his first full NHL season (2020-21), Batherson ranks second for Ottawa with 141 power-play points (55 goals), trailing only Tim Stutzle (145 points). Last season, he led the Senators with 30 power-play points (13 goals).

“Drake's a really good hockey player," coach Travis Green said Wednesday. "I'm happy. First of all, I'm happy for him. You know, he's going to be a Senator for a long, long time. Anytime your players get rewarded, you're happy for them. I want them all to do well, and you know he's deserving of it, and he's a really good player for us. I think we all know that, and you don't get a contract like that if you're not."

Selected by Ottawa in the fourth round (No. 121) of the 2017 NHL Draft, Batherson has 364 points (149 goals, 215 assists) in 470 regular-season games, and six points (four goals, two assists) in 10 playoff games.

"I think what we've built here over the last couple of years, all of us are just going to increasingly get better and we've added a few guys to help that out as well," Batherson said Tuesday. "These are the group of guys that I love and I didn't want to be anywhere else."

NHL.com independent correspondent Zoe Pierce contributed to this report.