The Ottawa Senators lost one of the franchise’s most important players yesterday, trading captain Brady Tkachuk to the Florida Panthers after he made a request to be dealt. In the aftermath of the deal, the Senators appear focused on making sure they don’t face the exit of other core players; GM Steve Staios told the media today (via Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch) that he is having preliminary discussions on potential contract extensions with winger Drake Batherson and defenseman Artem Zub. Batherson is repped by Paul Capizzano of Quartexx, while Zub is represented by Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. Both players are one season away from reaching unrestricted free agency.
While it’s unclear what the asking price is for either player to remain in Ottawa, it is clear that extending either player won’t come cheap. Batherson, 28, is entering year six of a six-year, $4.975MM AAV extension he signed in September 2021. The deal has been quite the bargain for the Senators, as Batherson has developed into a legitimate first-line winger. He scored 33 goals and 71 points in 79 games last season, and is likely to seek a significant raise on his next deal, perhaps even around double his current cap hit. Zub, who will turn 31 in October, is Ottawa’s most important right-shot defenseman. He scored a career-high 30 points last season and averaged 20:47 time on ice per game, including deployment on the team’s top penalty-kill unit. Zub costs $4.6MM against the cap and is also likely to be seeking a significant raise, though perhaps not to the same magnitude as Batherson.
Other notes in advance of free agency:
- Anaheim Ducks veteran defenseman Jacob Trouba is likely to test the unrestricted free agent market, reports Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on today’s 32 Thoughts podcast. The 32-year-old’s first complete campaign as a Duck was a massively successful bounce-back season. After he was unceremoniously traded from the New York Rangers last season, ending his tenure with the team he once captained, Trouba became a crucial veteran presence on the blueline of an ascendant Ducks team. Trouba managed 10 goals and 35 points, his most in a single season since 2021-22. He was Anaheim’s No. 3 defenseman in terms of ice time, playing 22:49 per game and leading all Ducks defensemen in short-handed time on ice per game. Trouba’s 3:04 per game on the penalty kill ranked No. 8 in the NHL. While he’s unlikely to match the $8MM cap hit he’s played on since the start of the decade, Trouba should still command substantial interest on the open market.
- Friedman also said on 32 Thoughts that it “looks like” Radko Gudas will also hit the UFA market like Trouba and trade deadline addition John Carlson. The 36-year-old is the Ducks’ captain and is coming up on the end of the three-year, $4MM AAV contract he signed as a free agent on July 1, 2023. Gudas took a real step back in terms of role this past season, skating in just 16:10 time on ice per game, and just 1:36 per game on the penalty kill. In 2024-25, Gudas averaged 19:51 per game and 2:28 on the penalty kill. Gudas was limited to just 56 games played last season as a result of lower-body injuries and a hefty five-game suspension, and but his reputation as one of the game’s most physical, ferocious defensemen is likely to garner him some real interest from around the league next week.
