Just last June, hockey insiders were wondering about a trade that would have sent Drake Batherson for Jason Robertson — until Steve Staios and Michael Andlauer put a stop to it, making it clear they had no intention of moving Batherson. You could tell by Andlauer’s tone and demeanour that he did not appreciate the rumors.
One could imagine two possible scenarios: either the rumors were completely false and the owner and management truly value Batherson as a core piece and future Senator, or the organization didn’t like that details of potential trade discussions were leaked to the media. In any case, Batherson remains a Senator today, and as they say, some of the best trades teams make are the ones they don’t.
Batherson is currently outperforming Robertson, with two more goals despite playing three fewer games. The rationale behind the rumored trade was to upgrade to a more productive winger who could play in the top six and provide more scoring. However, with Tkachuk’s injury, Batherson has stepped up to the first line alongside Stützle, producing points and consistently creating scoring opportunities with his linemates.
“Internal growth” was Staios’s slogan for the Sens this summer, and Batherson has delivered on that promise, vindicating management’s decision not to trade him for Robertson. Not to mention, Batherson’s cap hit is $2,775,000 less than Robertson’s this season, and he’s signed for one more year, while Robertson will be an RFA. Staios currently has both player growth and cost certainty with Batherson and should be proud of betting on his current top-line winger.
It’ll be interesting to see them face off tonight and compare their styles and puck management. Hopefully, Batherson relishes the opportunity to silence the critics even further and continues to outscore Robertson on the scoresheet — helping the Sens secure a win.
Another key storyline to watch tonight is Jensen’s time on ice. In his previous four games, he averaged 18:69, but in the Utah game, his ice time dropped to 14:34 — a significant decrease. Jensen may still be dealing with lingering effects from his surgery last spring. His recovery was unexpectedly accelerated, and perhaps he needed more time to rebuild muscle and endurance to perform at his previous level.
With Staios’s draft pickup of Spence, and Spence’s point-per-game pace, the Senators can afford to ease Jensen’s workload. Allowing him to regain his strength and play back up to top-pairing caliber will be crucial for the Sens’ playoff hopes and their chances of winning a series this spring.
The Dallas Stars come into this game on a two-game winning streak after beating the Predators and Kraken. They currently sit second in their division. Their power play has been hot — third-best in the league — compared to Ottawa’s, which currently ranks eighth. It will be key for the Sens to play a disciplined game and avoid taking unnecessary penalties. They need to ensure their penalty kill remains dynamic — it’s most effective when they collapse on the opponent’s zone entry at the blue line, dislodge the puck from the puck carrier, and clear it down the ice. Ottawa leads the league in faceoff wins, with Dallas trailing in sixth. The faceoff battles should be fun to watch, especially in key moments throughout the game. It will be interesting to see who wins the most important draws and whether that becomes a deciding factor in the outcome.
A win against Dallas would be significant given the caliber and success the Stars have had, reaching the conference finals last season. A Senators win could signal that they are ready to take another step forward — establishing themselves as a legitimate playoff contender that can compete with the best teams in the league. One game at a time, with wins against proven NHL contenders.
You can watch the game on RDS2 and TSN5.
Stars projected lineup
Sam Steel — Wyatt Johnston — Mikko Rantanen
Jason Robertson — Roope Hintz — Tyler Seguin
Oskar Back — Justin Hyrckowian — Colin Blackwell
Adam Erne — Radek Faksa — Maverick Bourque
Esa Lindell — Miro Heiskanen
Thomas Harley — Ilya Lyubuhskin
Lian Bichsel — Alexander Petrovic
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Nathan Bastian, Kyle Capobianco
Injured: Jamie Benn (collapsed lung), Matt Duchene (upper body), Nils Lundkvist (lower body)
Senators projected lineup
David Perron — Tim Stutzle — Drake Batherson
Ridly Greig — Dylan Cozens — Fabian Zetterlund
Michael Amadio — Shane Pinto — Claude Giroux
Olle Lycksell — Lars Eller — Hayden Hodgson
Jake Sanderson — Artem Zub
Thomas Chabot — Jordan Spence
Tyler Kleven — Nick Jensen
Linus Ullmark
Leevi Merilainen
Scratched: Kurtis MacDermid, Nikolas Matinpalo
Injured: Brady Tkachuk (thumb surgery)
