Drake Batherson Sent Back to Belleville
Rookie’s production has declined with Duchene’s injury
The Ottawa Senators announced this morning that Drake Batherson has been reassigned to the Belleville Senators of the AHL. The move is not a complete surprise as Batherson has looked lost at times in the past few games. The timing of the move coincides with the roster freeze to come in effect tomorrow night and will also give Belleville a roster boost ahead of their 3-game road trip. The Senators have two long breaks in the upcoming 2 weeks, so this is the ideal time to get Batherson consistent playing time to get his game back on track.
Drake Batherson has played 17 games with Ottawa this season scoring a total of 8 points (3G, 5A). He dazzled in his first game and continued to impress throughout his time here but everyone could see that the Duchene injury had a tremendous impact on his production. In the last 8 road games, Batherson has no points and has struggled to find his place during some games. With Duchene coming back on Friday, I don’t see Batherson staying in Belleville for too long as their chemistry has been a major highlight this season. While we can all agree, Batherson is better than many players on the current roster (Tom Pyatt), more ice time is always a good thing for a developing rookie.
