Ottawa Senators officially for sale

The Ottawa Senators have officially announced that the team will be put up for sale, saying any new owners will not be allowed to move the team out of town.

A team press release said Friday that « a process has been initiated for the sale of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club. »

« It was a necessary and prudent step to connect with these deeply interested parties who can show us what their vision is for the future of the team, » team chairman Sheldon Plener said in the statement. communicated.

« A condition of any sale will be that the team stays in Ottawa. »

The NHL team declined to comment earlier this week when Los Angeles-based Sportico reported the Senators had hired a sports banking company that helps with team sales. Canadian superstar Ryan Reynolds appears to have expressed an interest in buying the team.

The impending sale comes after owner Eugene Melnyk passed away, leaving the team to his two daughters, Anna and Olivia.

New Arena contract in the works

The team has a preliminary agreement to once again work toward a new downtown arena at LeBreton Flats, with the next update expected in January. A previous deal fell through in 2019.

This arena process is considered a key part of the sale, with the team’s current home in the western suburbs of Kanata having nearly 30 years of use.

Arena projects often see developers asking the city to contribute, and with LeBreton Flats falling on Crown land, the federal government and the City of Ottawa may both be asked to help pay for the new home. senators.

Ottawa Mayor-elect Mark Sutcliffe said in an email Wednesday that he does not support taxpayer dollars for the construction of a new arena « regardless of its location. »

When the cost of a new arena is added in, a new owner is easily looking at a total investment north of $1 billion, original team owner Bruce Firestone said this week.

Ottawa has lost four straight games and six of its first 10 this season, putting the team at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.

The Senators haven’t made the playoffs since 2017.