A Fantasy Breakout Waiting to Happen
Brady Tkachuk is gone. Eight seasons, 572 games, 463 points, and a captaincy — all of it packed up and shipped to Florida, where he joins his brother Matthew in Sunrise after requesting a trade that ended his tenure in Ottawa with a quiet, complicated thud. Only one Senators teammate publicly acknowledged the move on social media. The locker room, it seems, was ready to turn the page.
The Drake is that next page.
The departure of Tkachuk creates the most significant offensive vacancy Ottawa has faced in years. Brady was not just a captain — he was the physical and emotional engine of a Senators attack that has reached the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. His 8.2 million dollar cap hit, his power play presence, his ability to drive puck possession in the offensive zone — all of it now belongs to Florida. Someone in that Ottawa locker room has to step into that void. And if you have been paying attention to what Batherson has done over the past seven seasons, the answer is sitting right in front of you.
The trajectory of Batherson’s career is one of the most consistent upward lines in modern fantasy hockey. Since arriving in Ottawa in 2018-19, he has increased his point total in virtually every season he has played — from 9 points in his partial rookie year, to 44 in 2021-22 despite a two-month injury absence, to 62 in 2022-23, to a career-high 66 in 2023-24, to 68 in 2024-25, and now a new career high of 71 points — 33 goals and 38 assists — in the 2025-26 regular season. Seven seasons. Seven escalations. That is not a coincidence. That is a player who has been steadily growing into one of the most dangerous wingers in the Eastern Conference, largely without the national attention his numbers deserve.
The Hockey News called him one of the most underrated players in the NHL back in December 2024. He proved them right. Now, with Brady Tkachuk’s departure clearing $8.2 million in cap space and a top-line vacancy that somebody has to fill, Batherson is poised for the biggest season of his career.
The numbers support the projection aggressively. He is 27 years old — right in the prime window for an NHL winger. He finished 2025-26 with a career-high 33 goals and 71 points, including 30 power play points, and ended the season on an absolute tear with six goals and four assists over his final 11 games. He led the Senators in scoring in the playoffs with three goals and four points in four games against the Carolina Hurricanes, including goals in three consecutive games — tying the third-longest playoff goal streak in franchise history. He shot 167 times on net. He plays hard, hits, competes for pucks in traffic, and does it all while being one of the quietest superstars in the sport.
With Tkachuk gone and the offensive leadership role fully open, Batherson will step into a featured role the likes of which he has never had in Ottawa. More top-line minutes. More power play time. More responsibility. More opportunity. The Senators have also added William Eklund via trade — a dynamic top-six presence who will take pressure off Batherson and create space for him to operate. Tim Stützle and Dylan Cozens round out what is quietly one of the most talented forward groups in the Atlantic Division.
An 80 to 90 point season is not just realistic — it is the natural next step in a progression that has never once gone backwards. Batherson is the best fantasy value on the Ottawa Senators and one of the most compelling buy-high targets in the entire league heading into 2026-27.
The captain is gone. The breakout is here. Get Drake Batherson on your roster before the rest of your league figures it out.
– The Add List +
Statistics sourced from NHL.com, CBS Sports, and Wikipedia. Trade details sourced from NHL.com and CBC News, June 2026.