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Drake Batherson

Brady Tkachuk Out 6-7 Weeks Following Hand Surgery

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Oct. 16: Tkachuk underwent surgery to repair a ligament issue in his right hand in New York today, Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia reports. The procedure extends his return timeline to six to seven weeks and, with the clock resetting to today, won’t be back in the lineup until Thanksgiving at the earliest. That’s a 20-game minimum absence, including last night’s loss to the Sabres.

Oct. 14: Senators captain Brady Tkachuk will miss at least four weeks due to the right wrist injury he sustained in yesterday’s game against the Predators, head coach Travis Green said (via Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia). They’ve yet to decide on whether surgery is required. If so, his return timeline will be extended.

Tkachuk sustained the injury early in the game. While on the power play, he took a cross-check from Nashville captain Roman Josi near the goal line that carried enough force to cause Tkachuk to fall forward into the boards, bending his right wrist awkwardly in the process. He didn’t immediately leave the game but ended up taking his last shift midway through the third period. Green said immediately after the match that Tkachuk was going for evaluation and that his absence wasn’t precautionary.

This will stand as Tkachuk’s largest absence to date. While he’s missed games due to injury in four of his seven full NHL seasons, none of them were serious enough to warrant lengthy recovery times. The most time he ever missed was nine games due to a leg injury early in his rookie season. His four-week minimum means his earliest return is Nov. 11 against the Stars, meaning at least a 13-game absence for the star winger.

Thankfully for Ottawa, they have a relatively easy stretch of games ahead. Only three of those 13 contests are against teams that made the playoffs last season. They’ve gotten off to a tough start, though, especially defensively. They’re 1-2-0 through their first three contests and have yet to give up fewer than four goals, averaging a 4.67 GA/GP mark that ranks 31st in the league. While their 26.0 shots against per game figure is sixth-best in the NHL, their 64.3% success rate on the penalty kill – fifth-worst in the league – hasn’t helped matters. Linus Ullmark has also allowed a league-worst 5.4 goals above expected in his three starts, per MoneyPuck. Tkachuk doesn’t factor in shorthanded, so in that sense, his absence won’t mean much as Ottawa looks to address its biggest early-season weaknesses.

His missing offense and intangibles will, though. Tkachuk had three assists and a +1 rating through his first three outings and, although his 29-26–55 scoring line in 72 games last year was underwhelming by his standards, he received Hart Trophy consideration for the first time as he captained Ottawa to its first playoff berth since 2017. Despite missing a good portion of yesterday’s contest, he still ranks third on the team so far with 10 hits, is tied for the team lead with 21 shot attempts, and has controlled possession well with a 56.5 CF% at even strength.

Now, it’ll be mid-November until he’s consistently in the mix this season. The Senators can place him on injured reserve whenever they need a roster spot. That will likely come in conjunction with activating Drake Batherson, who is expected to come off IR before tomorrow’s game, according to Garrioch. Tkachuk is eligible for long-term injured reserve as well and can yield up to $3.82MM in cap relief, but with the Sens already banking over $2.45MM in space, that won’t be necessary, at least for now.

Luckily for the Sens, they don’t have any mounting injuries behind their leader. They have all available options, including Batherson, to elevate into top-line duties alongside Tim Stützle and Fabian Zetterlund in his absence.

Atlantic Notes: Kulikov, Lindholm, Batherson, Ratzlaff

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Late last night, the Florida Panthers quietly moved defenseman Dmitry Kulikov to the injured reserve. Unfortunately, although the team hasn’t commented on his status, reporting from George Richards of Florida Hockey Now indicates that it could be a long-term absence for their bottom-pairing blueliner.

The injury occurred during the Panthers’ win over the Philadelphia Flyers, their second game of the season. After attempting to hit Flyers forward Bobby Brink partway through the second period, Kulikov left the game after appearing to hurt his right wrist.

Passing along a note from head coach Paul Maurice, Richards’ report suggests that surgery is on the table for Kulikov, and that the team would make a more concrete decision this evening. Since the IR placement is retroactive to Thursday night, Kulikov is eligible to return from the IR on October 16th. However, if he requires surgery to repair his wrist, he’ll be out significantly longer.

Other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Another defenseman in the Atlantic will be sidelined, though not as long as Kulikov. According to Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald, Boston Bruins blueliner Hampus Lindholm is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed ailment. Lindholm left the team’s overtime win against the Chicago Blackhawks after having only skated in 4:26 of the action.
  • In more positive injury news, the Ottawa Senators could be getting a major boost to their forward core. Although he was ruled out for the team’s recent game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, forward Drake Batherson alluded to a return tonight or Monday in an interview with Bruce Garrioch of The Ottawa Citizen. Remarkably, the Senators’ first game of the year was the first Batherson has missed since the 2021-22 campaign, playing in 246 consecutive regular-season contests for Ottawa.
  • In an update unrelated to injuries, the Buffalo Sabres have shifted around some of their organizational goaltending depth. According to a team announcement, the Sabres have reassigned netminder Scott Ratzlaff to the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen. Ratzlaff, 20, who was selected with the 141st overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, spent last season with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, managing a 23-19-4 record in 49 games with a .910 SV%.

East Notes: Glendening, Senators, Sabres, George

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While Luke Glendening didn’t land on the season-opening roster for the Devils, that shouldn’t be interpreted as him not having made the team.  Per team reporter Amanda Stein (Twitter link), head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that the veteran is expected to sign with the team before they depart on their season-opening road trip which begins Thursday in Carolina.  New Jersey has set up their roster for an in-season LTIR placement which should come as soon as Tuesday, opening up the cap room at that time to sign Glendening.  The 36-year-old had just seven points in 77 games with Tampa Bay last season but won 57% of his draws, making him a serviceable specialist on the fourth line.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • While the Senators placed winger Drake Batherson and defenseman Tyler Kleven on injured reserve today, neither have been ruled out for Thursday’s season opener, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch. Their IR placements were back-dated to when they were injured in training camp, meaning they technically have already served the required seven days.  Both players skated for about 45 minutes today but haven’t been cleared to return just yet.
  • Sabres winger Zach Benson (undisclosed) and defenseman Mattias Samuelsson (upper body) returned to practice today as they work their way back from their respective injuries. Neither has been ruled out of Thursday’s season opener.  Meanwhile, winger Jordan Greenway (mid-body) and defenseman Owen Power (strain) skated on their own today.  Unlike Benson and Samuelsson, they’re not on the active roster as they were among the long list of players that landed on injured reserve today.  At this point, their availabilities for Thursday appear to be in question.
  • Despite playing in 33 games with the Islanders last season, Isaiah George was sent to the minors today. Speaking with reporters (video link), GM Mathieu Darche indicated that the 21-year-old had a strong camp but the decision was made to prioritize playing time, something he’ll get a lot of with Bridgeport but wouldn’t have received in New York as the eighth defender on the depth chart.

Minor Transactions: 10/6/25

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The deadline for NHL clubs to ready their opening-night rosters has passed, and as a result there has been quite a bit of roster maneuvering around the NHL today. While some moves are more notable, such as the handful of waiver claims made today, there are a few moves that are more minor, such as expected reassignments or previously reported injuries being made official with IR placements. We’ll keep track of those moves here:

  • In preparing their final opening-night roster that can be viewed here, the Utah Mammoth reassigned a pair of first-round picks. 2023 12th overall pick Daniil But was reassigned to the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners, which is where he will begin his North American professional career. Meanwhile 2024 sixth overall pick Tij Iginla was loaned back to his WHL team, the Kelowna Rockets. But is a big 6’5 winger whose KHL teammate (and fellow 2023 first-rounder) Dmitry Simashev made the Utah roster today, and it’s expected that But won’t be in the AHL for too long. As for Iginla, this season is an opportunity for him to get his development back on track after unfortunate injury luck derailed his 2024-25 campaign.
  • The Ottawa Senators reassigned the players they placed on waivers Sunday to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. Making up the group is Jan Jenik, Hayden Hodgson, Arthur Kaliyev, Mads Sogaard, and Lassi Thomson. 2024 seventh-overall pick Carter Yakemchuk was reassigned to Belleville, his Sept. 29 birthdate making him eligible to play in the AHL despite being a 2024 draft pick. In addition to those reassignments, the Senators placed Drake Batherson and Tyler Kleven on IR to further prepare their final roster. Batherson has been out since Sept. 24 with an upper-body injury on a projected two-week recovery timeline, while Kleven has been out since Sept. 21 with an undisclosed injury.
  • The Minnesota Wild reassigned forward Tyler Pitlick and netminder Cal Petersen to their AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, today. Both players were placed on waivers yesterday and went unclaimed. Pitlick, 33, is a veteran of over 400 NHL games and scored 46 points in 59 AHL games last season for the Hartford Wolf Pack – he’ll likely be among the first players in line for a call-up in Iowa. Petersen, 30, was once a $5MM-a-year netminder for the Los Angeles Kings but did not play in the NHL in 2024-25. Signed to a one-year, $775K one-way deal, he’ll be the team’s organizational number-three netminder.
  • The Calgary Flames placed forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Martin Pospisil on injured reserve today as part of their roster preparations, and also called up 2023 first-rounder Samuel Honzek. Huberdeau left Calgary’s preseason game at the start of the month with an undisclosed injury, and will miss at least the team’s season opener. Pospisil also exited the Flames’ Oct. 1 preseason game with an undisclosed injury, and will also miss the team’s first game at minimum. As a result, Honzek, 20, gets a spot on the roster in their absence. The 6’5 Slovak forward played his first season of North American pro hockey in 2024-25, scoring 21 points in 52 AHL games and also skating in five NHL contests.
  • The New York Rangers reassigned forward Brett Berard to AHL Hartford as part of their season-opening roster moves. Despite a solid training camp and preseason, the 23-year-old lost the battle for a middle-six role in New York to veteran Conor Sheary, a longtime favorite of first-year coach Mike Sullivan. The Rangers signed Sheary to a one-year deal earlier today. It’s a disappointing outcome for Berard, who looked to be making a real push for full-time NHL status last season. He skated in a career-high 35 NHL games, scoring 10 points to go alongside the 23 points he scored in 30 AHL contests.
  • The Toronto Maple Leafs reassigned defenseman Ben Danford to the OHL’s Oshawa Generals as part of their season-opening roster preparations. Danford missed Maple Leafs training camp and preseason with a concussion, but has since been cleared for contact, paving the way for this reassignment. It’s the expected move for the 2024 31st overall pick, who is entering his fourth season of OHL duty. Danford scored 25 points in 61 games in Oshawa last season and will resume his post as one of the OHL’s top shutdown blueliners for 2025-26.
  • The Colorado Avalanche announced several roster moves to go alongside their announcement of an initial roster: Keaton Middleton, who cleared waivers today, has been reassigned to AHL Colorado, alongside Matthew Stienburg. Meanwhile Ronnie Attard, Sean Behrens, Jacob MacDonald, Logan O’Connor, and Nikita Prishchepov have been designated injured non-roster. Ilya Solovyov, who the team claimed off of waivers from the Calgary Flames last week, was also designated non-roster but he is not injured. Solovyov’s placement is due to the fact that, per the Denver Post’s Corey Masisiak, his visa to allow him to play in the United States has not yet been finalized. It should be noted that this is not an abnormal scenario for a player involved in a cross-border transaction between NHL clubs.
  • As part of their own season-opening roster moves, the Nashville Predators placed defenseman Nic Hague and forward Matthew Wood on injured reserve. Hague is out with an upper-body injury on a week-to-week timeline, while Wood is also considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

Drake Batherson Questionable For Start Of Season

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The Senators could be without top-nine winger Drake Batherson for their regular-season opener against the Lightning on Oct. 9 and potentially even longer. He’s out “at least” two weeks with a pulled muscle in his upper body, head coach Travis Green told reporters, including Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia.

Batherson sustained the injury in yesterday’s practice and left the session early, according to TSN’s Claire Hanna. There’s no video of the incident. At the very least, Batherson’s exhibition schedule comes to an end after one appearance. He suited up in the club’s first preseason game of the year against the Maple Leafs, recording two assists in a 4-3 loss while logging 18:01 of ice time last Sunday.

A short-term absence isn’t the end of the world, but it is a tough kickoff for the ever-consistent Batherson. He set a career-high mark in assists (42) and points (68) last year, his third straight campaign above the 60-point mark. He also hasn’t missed a game since an ankle injury swallowed up a good portion of his 2021-22 season, which was otherwise his most successful offensive campaign with a 0.96 points-per-game rate (44 in 46 GP).

An IR stint could be a possibility if his recovery pace makes the Sens believe he’s set to miss at least the first seven days of the regular season. That would allow them to kick the can down the road on their decision to waive fringe forwards like Arthur Kaliyev, Olle Lycksell, and Zack MacEwen, opening up an extra roster spot for one of them to stay (or even slot in the lineup in Batherson’s place) in the meantime.

Kaliyev, signed to a league-minimum deal in free agency after being non-tendered by the Rangers, could be an intriguing beneficiary. The skilled but inconsistent 24-year-old is two years removed from a 13-15–28 scoring line in 56 appearances for the Kings. He’s bounced between units in camp so far, but has gotten some reps higher up in the lineup and has remained with the obvious NHL-laden training group as camp progresses. However, he was relegated to 13th forward duties at practice today while Michael Amadio got a crack at Batherson’s projected top-nine role alongside Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto, according to Garrioch.

Senators Say “No Truth” To Drake Batherson Trade Rumors

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June 6: General manager Steve Staios told reporters Friday that “there’s no truth” to the speculation regarding Batherson’s trade availability, per Claire Hanna of TSN.

June 3: The Senators are willing to part ways with winger Drake Batherson via trade as they look to acquire an upgrade for their top-six forward group, Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen said Tuesday.

Batherson’s name popped up in trade conversation around the deadline, but he ultimately wasn’t moved. Those talks also stemmed more from teams calling on Batherson, not Ottawa actively shopping him. While saying the Sens are trying to move on from him outright is a stretch, there’s a belief “some within the organization are frustrated with his lack of consistency,” Garrioch writes, and they’ll be open to including him in a trade package for a more established scoring forward.

Senators general manager Steve Staios already made one notable change to the core of young players Ottawa had built up before his arrival, swapping out Joshua Norris for Dylan Cozens at this year’s deadline in lieu of a Batherson move. It certainly stands to reason he’d pull off a similar maneuver to help jumpstart the Sens’ offense, which only ranked 18th in the league in 2024-25, as they try to piece together a second straight postseason appearance for the first time since 2012 and 2013.

Batherson’s run in Ottawa began in 2017 as a fourth-round pick. The 6’3″, 200-lb winger nonetheless made his NHL debut less than a year and a half later, and he was a full-time piece by the time the shortened 2020-21 season rolled around.

The comment about his lack of consistency comes across as puzzling. While he may have in-season hot and cold stretches, there are very few more known commodities in the league at present than Batherson. He’s played all 82 games for three years in a row – during that span, he’s recorded 22, 28, and 26 goals and 62, 66, and 68 points, respectively. His usage has also barely varied, averaging between 18 and 19 minutes per game.

He’s now 27 years old, though. That consistency also means his ceiling, at least long-term, has been established as that consistent 25-goal, 65-point winger. Ottawa only had one player, top center Tim Stützle, top that mark this season. With no one else in the system aside from captain Brady Tkachuk slated to routinely hover around or break that plateau, it’s understandable why Staios would be on the hunt for a winger with more game-breaking potential while sacrificing Batherson’s projectable output.

Still, for a relatively cap-strapped team like Ottawa, getting rid of Batherson at his extremely reasonable price point should create some pause. His cap hit is just $4.975MM through 2026-27, after which he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.

Senators Receiving Trade Interest In Drake Batherson

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While the Senators are expected to be looking to add to their roster by Friday’s trade deadline, that hasn’t stopped teams from calling about some of their younger veterans.  To that end, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that Ottawa has been receiving trade interest in winger Drake Batherson.

Notably, Garrioch notes that the Sens aren’t actively shopping him and it’s believed that GM Steve Staios isn’t believed to be in any sort of hurry to move Batherson.  But with Ottawa having very limited cap space – around $850K, per PuckPedia – they would need to clear out some money if they want to make any sort of significant change to their roster.  While it has been suggested before that they’d be open to moving center Josh Norris, his $7.95MM price tag through the 2029-30 season makes an in-season move a lot less likely.

Batherson’s contract, however, is a much more palatable one.  He’s signed through the 2026-27 campaign at a $4.975MM price tag, one that’s generally viewed as a team-friendly cap charge.  In theory, moving him would give them some flexibility to try to add a core piece although dealing away Batherson would also obviously open up a hole to fill in their core forward group.

Batherson enters tonight’s game against Chicago in second place in team scoring with 16 goals and 31 assists through 60 appearances while logging 18:30 per night of ice time.  However, he has been a bit quiet as of late; since the calendar flipped to 2025, he has notched just three tallies and eight helpers in 24 games despite a small jump in playing time over that stretch.

Despite the dip in production as of late, Batherson’s recent track record is undoubtedly fueling the interest.  He came into this season with two straight years of at least 22 goals and 62 points under his belt with his 28 goals and 66 points last season representing new career bests.  Even with the slower pace of late, he still has a chance of reaching 20 goals and 60 points for a third straight year.  Accordingly, Staios and the Sens could justifiably place a high asking price for his services if they were to consider moving Batherson.

At the moment, Ottawa will be hard-pressed to do much of consequence on the trade front by Friday at 2 PM ET.  They can maybe add a lower-cost depth piece and that’s about it.  If they do intend to do something bigger, it appears they’ll have at least one option to open up more flexibility with the interest in Batherson.

Snapshots: Senators Trade Rumors, Arber Xhekaj, Ridly Greig

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The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch recently shared that teams have been reaching out to the Senators to see if top forward Drake Batherson is available. However, Garrioch reports that Ottawa isn’t looking for a large-scale trade, and is instead shopping around winger Dominik Kubalik. This could be in an effort to make space for Shane Pinto, who is currently serving a 41-game suspension after violating the league’s sports wagering rules.

Kubalik is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and carries a $2MM cap hit this season. The 28-year-old has managed four goals and five points through 19 games this season, also adding six penalty minutes and a -10. Kubalik previously scored 30 goals and 46 points in the 2019-20 season, his rookie year in the NHL. His scoring took a step back following the exciting rookie year, but he managed 20 goals and 45 points in 81 games with the Detroit Red Wings last season.

And while those are certainly fine numbers for a cheap, depth forward, it’s easy to see why Batherson is the one teams are interested in. The 25-year-old winger currently has 14 points, split evenly, through 19 games this season. He’s coming off of a career-year that saw him record 22 goals and 62 points in 82 games last season. The breakout year was apart of a steady climb in scoring, with Batherson recording 34 points in 2020-21 and 44 points in only 46 games during the 2021-22 season. The young forward is also cost-controlled through 2026-27, carrying a cap hit of $4.975MM in each of the next four seasons.

Other notes from around the league:

Hockey Canada Announces 2022 IIHF World Championship Roster

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The roster is set, with just a few days to go before things kick off for Hockey Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Championship. The defending gold medalists will be icing a rather youthful roster this season, highlighted by some of the league’s up-and-coming stars, along with some established top-end youngsters.

The full roster will be:

G Chris Driedger
G Logan Thompson
G Matt Tomkins

D Thomas Chabot
D Ryan Graves
D Nick Holden
D Dysin Mayo
D Travis Sanheim
D Damon Severson
D Zach Whitecloud

F Josh Anderson
F Mathew Barzal
F Drake Batherson
F Max Comtois
F Dylan Cozens
F Pierre-Luc Dubois
F Morgan Geekie
F Noah Gregor
F Kent Johnson
F Adam Lowry
F Dawson Mercer
F Eric O’Dell
F Nicolas Roy
F Cole Sillinger

For a player like Mayo, this selection truly solidifies the hard work he has put in over years of grinding in the minor leagues. The fifth-round pick spent parts of seven seasons in the AHL before arriving this year with the Arizona Coyotes and becoming one of the team’s most reliable options. Now 25, he’ll be suiting up for his country for the first time at a major international tournament.

Meanwhile, someone like Cozens is taking the next step in representing his country, after last captaining Team Canada at the 2021 World Juniors (where he scored an incredible 16 points in seven games). The Buffalo Sabres forward had 38 points in his first full-length NHL season and has huge upside as a potential franchise cornerstone. The same could be said for players like Johnson and Sillinger, two names that will likely drive the offense for years to come in Columbus.

Perhaps the most interesting name in the group is Dubois, given the Winnipeg Jets center doesn’t have a contract for next season. Pending restricted free agents, especially ones as important as Dubois, usually skip the tournament because of insurance issues and the risk of injury. Instead, he’ll head overseas to play in a tournament he’s already attended twice previously, despite still just being 23 years old.

Atlantic Notes: Murray, Worlds, Petry, Gallagher, Senyshyn

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Senators goaltender Matt Murray was hoping to return down the stretch to give him an opportunity to play for Canada at the upcoming World Championships but had to shut it down last week due to post-concussion symptoms, relays Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch (Twitter link).  It was a tough season for the 27-year-old as he was limited to just 20 games where he had a GAA of 3.05 and a SV% of .906, numbers that aren’t worth his $6.25MM AAV.  That resulted in Murray clearing waivers back in November.  With Anton Forsberg signing an extension back at the trade deadline and prospect Filip Gustavsson being waiver-eligible in 2022-23, Murray’s spot on Ottawa’s roster to start next season is far from a guarantee.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Still with Ottawa, Ian Mendes of The Athletic mentions (Twitter links) that winger Drake Batherson and forward Tim Stutzle will represent Canada and Germany respectively at next month’s World Championships. However, forward Brady Tkachuk is unlikely to play for the United States in the tournament due to some nagging injuries.
  • Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry told reporters, including TSN’s John Lu (Twitter link), that he hasn’t closed the door on staying in Montreal. The veteran blueliner requested a trade midseason but played much better in the second half under interim head coach Martin St. Louis, finishing up with 21 points in his final 28 games this season after having just six points through his first 40 contests.  Petry has three years left on his contract with a $6.25MM AAV.
  • Still with Montreal, Lu notes in a separate tweet that winger Brendan Gallagher declined an invite to play at the Worlds due to lingering injury issues while noting his hip issue from the playoffs last year was still acting up this season. Gallagher had the toughest offensive campaign of his 10-year career, notching just seven goals and 17 assists in 56 games.
  • With the regular season now done (at least for 30 of 32 teams), several trades that have conditions in them have now been finalized. One of those was the move that sent Zach Senyshyn to Ottawa in exchange for a conditional draft pick.  Had the winger played in five games with the Senators, the Bruins would have received Ottawa’s 2022 sixth-round pick.  He only played in two so Boston will instead get their 2022 seventh-rounder.

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