A win for Ottawa tourism guides

It's been chaotic in Ottawa, to say the least. The Senators finally returned to the postseason this summer after a long, uneven rebuild, and subsequently traded away one of the best Tkachuks to ever play the game, immediately turning around and bringing William Eklund into the fold. The Senators got younger, again, but did they get better?

The more important question is, are they better set up for the future now than they were before? It seems as though one person thinks so: Drake Batherson. He's one of, if not the best forward the Sens have right now, and he is going to be an unrestricted free agent after this season. The Sens want t sign him to an extension, but as usually happens, the sides are at an impasse. 

This isn't exactly what you may think. Rather than this being strictly about the dollar value year over year, Batherson is hoping to get an eighth year on his new contract, which is longer than what the Senators wanted to offer. Drake Batherson, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, wants to finish his career in Ottawa. What a great advertisement for the city of Ottawa! 

That is, of course, not the full story. Batherson wants 8 years because he is 28 years old, and this is probably his last and best chance to cash in on a long term, lucrative deal. The Senators, for their part, may not be interested in having a 36 year old earning top dollar at the end of his term. As an added curiosity, there are new contract rules effective on September 15th, capping the length of contracts at 7 years. 

Drake Batherson wants to sign what might potentially be the last ever 8 year contract in NHL history in Ottawa! Regardless of what other business interests might underlie this desire, it's still a pretty flattering sentiment. Ottawa would also have some good NHL history associated with it. 

Ottawa: Long term home of Drake Batherson (and some other stuff)

Ottawa on my mind

If you are paying attention to the NHL Offseason at all, you are aware that the Ottawa Senators have been busy. Their most notable move was sending Brady Tkachuk to Florida, because that is where Tkachuks naturally end up. The second move, big, though with fewer draft picks involved, saw the Senators acquire William Eklund from San Jose. That's nice. 

It is also the transaction that caught my attention the most. Eklund rejoins former teammate Fabian Zetterlund, not only a former Shark teammate, but long time friend of Eklund, to the point that they are even sauna buddies. As Scandinavians, there is no greater symbol of friendship.

Also, Eklund has played with former Senator Mikael Zibanejad in Sweden. That's Christian Eklund, though, William's father. That's right, just like the Tkachuks, the Eklunds are hockey dynasties! William even has a brother that was recently drafted (by the Islanders). 

Hockey is one big family, and increasingly, that is a very literal meaning. 

Who is excited for Linus Ullmarkl?

 

And, I guess, the Ottawa SenatorsOttawa Senators