The Senators are in the process of selling the franchise to new owners, and one of the names is a familiar one.
Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds is among the potential buyers for Ottawa’s NHL franchise. The 46-year-old has been tied to the sale of the franchise since early in the fall, and his interest has not wavered since.
The first rumblings of Ottawa looking to sell the franchise began back in November. Eugene Melnyk, the former owner of the Senators, who died in March, left the team as a part of his estate handed down to his daughters, Anna and Olivia.
Reynolds is a native of Vancouver, however, he has spent time in the Ottawa neighborhood of Vanier and has maintained ties to the city. He even has a street named after him, dubbed Ryan Reynolds Way.
He’s also no stranger to owning sports clubs. Reynolds, along with actor Rob McElhenney, purchased Wrexham FC in 2020, a lower-tier professional soccer club in Wales. Reynolds and McElhenney purchased Wrexham for as little as £2 million.
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Here are the latest updates regarding Reynold’s potential purchase of the Senators.
Is Ryan Reynolds buying the Senators?
Reynolds is very much in on the potential purchase of the Senators.
On April 28, it was reported by the Ottawa Sun that Reynolds and the Remington Group are prepared to make a $1 billion bid for the organization. Along with Reynolds, the group is headlined by real estate mogul Christopher Bratty.
In the Sun’s report, it is believed that a part of their proposal would be to build a new arena for the Senators, replacing the current Canadian Tire Centre with a new home for the club. The article also stated that Reynolds and the group have been “aggressive” in their pursuit and “would like to get this deal done as soon as possible.”
Galatioto Sports Partner, the group hired by the Senators to overlook the sale of the club, previously set May 15 as the deadline for final binding bids.
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Reynolds first confirmed interest in buying the Senators on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in November. Rumors had started that the actor was interested in buying the club, but it wasn’t until his talk show appearance that Reynolds himself stated his intrigue in the purchase of the franchise.
.@VancityReynolds addresses the rumors that he is interested in buying the @NHL @Senators. 👀 #FallonTonight pic.twitter.com/oMgaM08NXy
— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) November 8, 2022
What is the Senators’ total franchise value?
Sportico released its latest report of team values earlier this year. The Senators were ranked towards the bottom of the list.
The team’s total value is estimated to be $655 million, which is 27th out of the 32 teams in the NHL.
Only the Sabres, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Panthers and Coyotes came in at a lower value.
Ryan Reynolds net worth
Reynolds has done quite well for himself with his acting career. He is estimated to have a net worth of $150 million.
He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, as his worldwide box-office gross comes in at over $5 billion. He has starred in a number of hit films, including “Deadpool”, “The Proposal”, “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and “Safe House”.
In addition to acting, Reynolds started his own production company, Maximum Effort. He also has invested in a number of companies, such as Aviation American Gin, Wealthsimple and Mint Mobile, which he recently sold for $1.35 million.