Actor Ryan Reynolds and the Remington Group are prepping to make an offer of more than $1 billion to buy the Ottawa Senators, according to a report from the Ottawa Sun. The group is headlined by Reynolds and real estate mogul Christopher Bratty.
New York-based banker Galatioto Sports Partners has been hired to oversee the bids to buy the Senators, and May 15 has been set as the deadline for all groups to submit final offers. The Ottawa Sun also reports that Reynolds and Bratty want to get a deal done as soon as possible and have been aggressive throughout the process.
As a part of their proposal, it’s believed that Reynolds and Bratty would build a new arena for the Senators.
The group is reportedly considering several sites for a new arena, including some that are closer to downtown Ottawa and the city’s entertainment district. However, redeveloping the 75 acres in which the Canadian Tire Centre — the current home of the Senators — occupies in the suburb of Kanata is also on the table.
According to the Ottawa Sun, it appears that Reynolds and Bratty would finance a potential Senators deal with Galatioto Sports Partners, the Melnyk family — who currently own the team — and the NHL.
The Senators would not be the only sports franchise that Reynolds owns if a deal goes through. He purchased Welsh soccer club Wrexham FC with fellow actor Rob McElhenney in 2020. The team recently secured promotion to the Football League for the first time in 15 years, and both actors have been extremely active in the Welsh community to show support for the club.
Reynolds would take a similar approach to being the owner of the Senators.
“If we progress with the Ottawa Senators I will be a frothy, rabies-infused fan the likes of which the NHL has never seen,” Reynolds said in December. “There’s not too much I can say about that now, but I have a real connection to Ottawa, to the community of Ottawa.”
But Reynolds and his group are not the only party interested in purchasing the NHL franchise. According to the Ottawa Sun, there are six other major groups trying to buy the Senators, one of which is led by Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé.