Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia is reporting that new Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer estimates that a new arena in Ottawa would cost around $900MM and must make economic sense in order for it to happen. A new Ottawa arena has been an ongoing saga in the City of Ottawa for nearly a decade and according to some economists, it should be the first order of business for the new owner.
The Senators have played in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata since 1996 in a building that felt out of date shortly after it opened. The team has been lobbying for quite some time to get a new venue in Ottawa’s downtown core but has yet to be successful in breaking ground on a new arena. Previous owner Eugene Melnyk came close in 2016 when he tried to make a deal to build a new arena on federal land, but ultimately fell short of his goal. With the Senators now firmly under Andlauer’s control, it should be interesting to see if the Senators are finally able to break ground on a new building in a more central part of the city.
In other notes:
- Pittsburgh Hockey Now is reporting that defenseman Mark Pysyk saw his attempted comeback hit a roadblock yesterday as he was injured in a pre-season game with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Pysyk has been trying to catch on with the Penguins for this season as he plays out training camp on a PTO. The 31-year-old missed all last season after signing with the Detroit Red Wings and hasn’t played a full season since he posted three goals and nine assists with the Buffalo Sabres in 2021-22. No information on Pysyk’s status or injury has been released at this time.
- Färjestad BK announced today that Minnesota Wild prospect Liam Öhgren will be leaving Sweden to travel to Minnesota to undergo testing on an undisclosed injury. The injury has kept the 2022 19th overall pick off the ice this season and the Wild have opted to get a second opinion on the nature of his injury. Öhgren signed his entry-level contract last summer and has been on loan in Sweden since then. He was expected to make the jump to North America for the 2024-25 season, but with the uncertainty surrounding the injury, little is known about Öhgren’s playing future.
Kanata is not a suburb of Ottawa. It’s within the city limits, and has been since the beginning of 2001 when the all the surrounding areas were amalgamated together into the one city.