Overview
- Both Drake Batherson and general manager Steve Staios said Tuesday that they want to reach an extension and that talks are ongoing ahead of training camp.
- The NHL’s new collective bargaining rules take effect on Sept. 15 and will cut the maximum in-team extension from eight years to seven years if no agreement is signed before then.
- Ottawa’s limited near-term cap space, about $4.1 million according to reporting, is complicating talks because Batherson is due for a substantial raise from his $4.975 million cap hit.
- Batherson enters the final year of a six-year deal after a 2025-26 season in which he scored a career-high 33 goals and posted 71 points, boosting his market value and pay expectations.
- Training camp opens Sept. 16 and the season starts Oct. 3, so the club can either try to complete an eight-year pact this week or delay talks and use much larger projected cap room in 2027-28 to structure a later deal.