Sens owner denies team is shopping Batherson: 'It's totally false'

Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer vehemently denied recent reports that the club is listening to trade offers for forward Drake Batherson.

"We're at the (draft) combine and, apparently, we're trading Batherson?" Andlauer said, according to The Athletic's Julian McKenzie. "You know, it's not right. Sometimes, you've just got to get your sources right. You can always validate it here. But it's not for me, or (general manager) Steve (Staios). To me, it's all about the player. So now all of a sudden, this guy's seeing that, and it's totally false."

Staios reached out to Batherson to reassure him that the club isn't trying to trade him.

"I know things get out there (that) are written, and you know that there's no truth to it," Staios said. "But when it was written on back-to-back days, I was informed that it was out there a couple of days in a row. I talked to our players often through the offseason anyway, but I just thought the timing was right to make sure that Drake knows that there's no truth to it."

Batherson is under contract for two more seasons at a $4.975-million cap hit before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency. The 27-year-old has played his entire career with the Senators, and he racked up 26 goals along with 42 assists this season to help Ottawa reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

He added two points in six games in a first-round loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Senators have $15 million of cap space this offseason, according to PuckPedia. The club is reportedly looking to acquire a top-six forward and is making progress on re-signing veteran Claude Giroux.