Without much to do, he decided he'd work on his jumper.
"I ordered a little basketball net on Amazon so I was working on my jump shot," Batherson said with a smile.
The Ottawa Senators' leading scorer has a lot to smile about as he was removed from the NHL's Covid-19 protocol Tuesday morning and will be back in the Sens' lineup Wednesday for the first time since Nov. 13.
"It was a long quarantine but I am pumped to be back," Batherson said.
The Sens are also pumped to get him back. Batherson's nine assists and 16 points leads the Sens while his seven goals trail only Josh Norris' eight.
"Having Drake back will be a huge boost, not only for our top line but, for our power play as well," Senators head coach D.J. Smith said. "He creates so much, plays big minutes, plays away from the puck and he can do so many good things so we're happy to have him back."
Batherson was released from quarantine Saturday morning and skated three times on his own before joining the Sens at practice today.
He links up with his teammates who are returning from a winless four-game road trip. In fact, the Sens' last win was when Batherson dominated in a 6-3 win against Pittsburgh on Nov. 13 and that was a game he wasn't even certain he'd play in.
Batherson was held out of morning skate that day after his daily Covid-19 test was positive but a subsequent negative test followed before a third one before the game also was negative, allowing him to suit up. He responded with a two-goal, two-assist performance.
"The tests were going back and forth," Batherson recalled. "I didn't know what to think on the Sunday when I was positive … it was a long haul but it's good to be back."
While Batherson was watching from afar on his couch, he felt for his teammates out west after the Sens dropped decisions to Colorado, San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles.
But with his return set for tomorrow, he's itching to get back to work.
"Last week, it was tough sitting out and watching but we're all back now and feeling good," Batherson said. "Hopefully we can turn it around here and get a few wins this week."
