Ottawa Senators

After rumors about a potential sale, the Ottawa Senators have officially been put on the market.

Senators Sports & Entertainment released a statement on Friday announcing the NHL franchise is for sale, with the condition that a sale requires the franchise to remain in Ottawa.

Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico reported earlier this week that Senators ownership retained Galatioto Sports Partners to initiate a sale.

Per Ian Mendes of The Athletic, there are "multiple" groups that have shown a willingness to purchase the franchise to keep them in Ottawa.

Mendes also noted potential buyers are "extremely interested in the prospect of a downtown arena at LeBreton Flats."

The Senators reached an agreement with the National Capital Commission and a group of partners in June for a plot of land in LeBreton Flats with the hope of building a new arena.

Anthony LeBlanc, Senators president of business operations, told reporters in September the franchise hopes to follow the blueprint set by the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena.

"They’ve done a remarkable job on a small square footage area, which is going to be our challenge," LeBlanc said of the Seattle arena. "It’s a tight site. I wish we had the 27 acres they have in Edmonton, but we don’t. Rogers Arena blew me away by their sheer size. Seattle was a much tighter bowl, which is what we’re leaning towards."

Eugene Melnyk, who died in March at the age of 62, originally purchased the Senators and their arena in August 2003. The franchise is currently owned by his estate.

Ottawa was awarded an NHL franchise in December 1990, with the 1992-93 campaign being its inaugural season.

During Melnyk's ownership tenure, the Senators made the playoffs nine times and won one division title. The franchise's only Stanley Cup Final appearance came during the 2006-07 season.

If you're enjoying Welcome to Wrexham, then perhaps you'll enjoy Welcome to Ottawa.

People's Ryan Parker reported Wednesday that actor Ryan Reynolds "is very interested in buying the Ottawa Senators should the NHL team ultimately be sold."

A representative for Reynolds declined to comment when asked by Parker about the story.

The 46-year-old didn't dismiss the idea when a Senators fan pleaded with him to buy the team:

Reynolds has already partnered with fellow actor Rob McElhenney to purchase Wrexham AFC, which competes in the English National League. They have turned their and the club's journey into an ongoing documentary series.

Sportico's Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams reported Tuesday the Senators' ownership regime is exploring a possible sale. Longtime owner Eugene Melnyk, who bought the franchise in 2003, died in March.

As much as Reynolds might like the idea of joining a potential ownership group, there's obviously a difference between investing £2 million to buy a Welsh soccer club and making a run at an NHL franchise. Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico valued the Senators at $655 million.

Reynolds might have to star in a lot more Deadpool sequels to make this happen.

Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion announced Wednesday that the team signed Tim Stützle to an eight-year extension worth $8.35 million annually.

In just his second season in the NHL in 2021-22, Stützle had 22 goals and 36 assists in 79 games.

"Reaching a long-term agreement with Tim represents another significant step forward for this organization," Dorian said. "Tim is a dynamic offensive player who utilizes an exceptional blend of speed and skill to be a consistent difference-maker. He's electrifying and has quickly become a fan favorite for good reason."

After the Senators finished next to last in the Atlantic Division last year, the GM has been aggressive in making sure Ottawa not only makes the playoffs in 2022-23 but also is set up for the long term.

The team acquired Alex DeBrincat, who turns just 24 in December, from the Chicago Blackhawks and added more veteran experience by trading for Cam Talbot and signing Claude Giroux.

The deal for Stützle also follows fellow forwards Brady Tkachuk (seven years, $57.5 million), Josh Norris (eight years, $63.6 million) and Drake Batherson (six years, $29.9 million) getting long-term deals within roughly the last calendar year. Defenseman Thomas Chabot is tied down with an eight-year, $64 million contract as well.

The Senators are already seeing Dorion's aggressive approach pay some dividends.

"I can tell you that the season-ticket membership is the highest it's been in years," team president Anthony LeBlanc told Sportsnet's Wayne Scanlan. "We've seen a significant, significant increase—and it all started, really, around the time when Pierre started making some trades."

LeBlanc said Wednesday season-ticket sales have climbed 60 percent.

The Senators still need to see all of their young talent make a breakthrough together, but it's impossible not to get excited about the future of the franchise.

The NHL has postponed three more games this week because of COVID-19, the league announced Sunday. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators are the teams impacted.

The NHL and NHL Players Association also agreed to the reintroduction of taxi squads in order to provide teams with players who can be recalled to avoid having games postponed in the future. 

Each team will be allowed to have a taxi squad of up to six players. In addition, teams are allowed to make emergency recalls from the minors if COVID-19 were to prevent them from playing with a full lineup. 

Taxi squads will be in effect until at least the All-Star break in February. Players on the taxi squad will count as being in the for the salary cap and can be there for a minimum of 20 days. 

The NHL also had taxi squads during the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. 

Several players have entered COVID-19 health and safety protocols since returning from the holiday break, including Bruins forward Charlie Coyle, Maple Leafs forward Williams Nylander and Penguins forward Evan Rodrigues. 

The NHL began its holiday break earlier than expected this year because of a rise in positive COVID-19 cases across the league. Every team was shut down beginning Dec. 22, though most were on pause before that point. 

Several teams are set to return to action on Tuesday, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks.

Because of postponements across the league and rise in COVID-19 cases, the NHL and NHLPA also recently decided that players would not attend the Winter Olympics in Beijing. The league needs the two-week break in the February schedule to make up more than 50 postponed games.