Senators content on Hockey Hot Stove is powered by Betalytics and Rude Hockey. Sign up at https://Betalytics.com to start your no strings 5-day free trial. Use Promo Code: HHS to receive a 25% discount on the best predictive sports data available. Plans start from $9.99 monthly.
The Ottawa Senators held their annual Charity Open at Rideau View Golf Club in Manotick Tuesday morning. The Senators Foundation and their corporate partners raised over $300,000 to aid Military familiies and various youth programs throughout the Ottawa/Gatineau region.
The event was also the first time prior to Senators training camp to receive answers to burning questions focused on the upcoming NHL campaign.
Drake Batherson contract negotiations
A pending unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season, Drake Batherson is seeking an eight-year contract extension to remain an Ottawa Senator.
However, the clock is ticking. The new NHL/NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement is set to begin September 16. With that, players re-signing with their existing teams can only sign for a maximum of seven years, and only six if the player decides to move on or is dealt to another club.
There’s little doubt Batherson and the Senators would like to get the deal finalized in the coming days as to the subject not become a distraction heading into training camp late next week.
Talks appear to be positive between Senators General Manager Steve Staios and Paul Cappizano, Batherson’s agent. Owner Michael Andlauer congratulated the 28-year-old on his summer engagement during his opening remarks at Tuesday’s event.
Batherson told assembled including Hockey Hot Stove, “Steve (Staios) knows I want to be here, so yeah, they’ll keep moving forward with the talks and hopefully get something done here soon.”
“I think it’d be nice just to to get it done before the season and not have that distraction when the games start. So I’m not sure what will happen, but hopefully it gets done before then,” added the Nova Scotia resident who’s heading into his seventh full season and ninth in the Senators organization.
“It’s the only place I’ve ever known, and ever since I came in, you know, everyone from the trainers, equipment staff, to the people I’ve met outside of hockey here. It’s just felt like home to me, and you know it’s the place I you know want to spend the rest of my career, and hopefully it works out.”
When prompted, the Senators GM continued to hold his cards close to his vest.
“I’ll say it again, but Drake’s an important player, and we certainly continue to work on finding a way to make him an Ottawa Senator for a long time.”
Staios remains optimistic a deal will be completed withing the time constraint.
“I think he knows, he wants to be here in Ottawa. We want him here, and typically those tend to work out. But until we get there, we’re not there yet, and we’ll continue to work on it.”
https://hockeyhotstove.com/category/bloggers/murray-pam
Who will be the Senators next captain?
With Brady Tkachuk moving on, one thing is for certain, there’s no shortage of candidates to become the Senators next captain. Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, Tim Stutzle are are considered favourites.
Staios refused to put a timeline on naming a captain, wanting to receive feedback from his coaches and players prior to making the final decision.
“I don’t think that’s anything that we want to rush into. It’s an important decision. Yet, when I look at our group and the potential players that could be our next captain here for the Ottawa Senators, it just comes naturally to to all these players that we’re talking about. So I don’t think it’s on their minds,” mused the Senators GM.
“I think it’s more just something that we’ll continue to work through as we’re together now and camp gets picks up. But we’re very lucky that we have a number of players that that can be our next captain.”
Chabot, the Senators current longest-tenured player heading into his 10th campaign with the team said, “Obviously, losing Brady, we knew that was kind of gonna start being brought up a little bit. It’s kind of a boring answer, but I mean, there’s not much we control on that. And the way people obviously around town talk to me about it, it’s a huge honour. Obviously feels good to see that people recognize it quite a lot. But you know what? I don’t control that, and I’ve always been the same kind of guy around the room, try to be the best teammate I can be, and be fun to be around every single day, and obviously whatever happens happens.”
Florida Panthers’ pest Brad Marchand who trains in the offseason with Batherson in Nova Scotia, recently made the comment, “Haha, Stutzle, haha” on the 24-year-old being in line to become the Senators next captain.
Batherson noted Marchand’s Instagram post was all in jest, “I texted him. I said, Marshy, what are you doing?”
“No, that just Marshy.. He’s been doing that for years. He just started laughing. I mean, he’s been doing that stuff for for 20 years. That’s just Marshy, and I knew that, but everyone blew it out of context. But that’s just Marshy being Marshy.”
For his part, Stutzle laughed it off, firing back, “I don’t really care, to be honest. Yeah, I don’t care about that at all. I mean, Drake was calling me right after it. I know it’s his neighbor, so I don’t care. I think he’s a great player. He’s trying to get in other guys’ head, and I respect him as a player.”
Bye-Bye Brady
While some Senators players were originally taken aback with Brady Tkachuk requesting out of Ottawa, they’re now ready to move on.
“He’s a good player, but we have a bunch of good players. So, I think with the guys we brought in, they’re gonna fill us well, really well. And yeah, like I said, we’re a really tight group. So every adversity we have, we’re gonna pass and move on,” explained Stutzle.
Possible future “C” Thomas Chabot said it best, “Obviously, I was close with him as a friend and as a teammate, and you don’t like seeing that. But like we said all summer, if you don’t want to be here and you want to be somewhere else, then we’d rather it to happen that way. Obviously I don’t hold any anything against him. We talked on the phone this summer when everything kind of went down. I wish him the best of luck for his future, the rest of his career. He’s a hell of a guy and a hell of a teammate. But you know what? We take pride in what we have here in Ottawa as a team and as a group. We are building towards something that I believe is going to be a great thing with lots of talent and a very good team. So if if you don’t want to be here and you wanted to change a scenery, then that’s fine. But obviously we want to focus on what we have here.”
Home › Forums › Senators Players At The “Fore-front”