Report: Ryan Reynolds, Remington Group expected to make $1B bid to purchase Senators

According to a report from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, actor Ryan Reynolds and the Remington Group are set to place a $1 billion bid for the purchase of the Ottawa Senators.

The Markham-based group led by Reynolds and real estate tycoon Christopher Bratty “is prepared to bid more than $1 billion for the purchase of the Senators and the Canadian Tire Centre.” 

According to Garrioch, the deadline for the final bids is May 15. Garrioch also reports that Reynolds and Bratty want to get a deal done as soon as possible and have been aggressive throughout the process. New York-based banker Galatioto Sports Partners was hired by the Melynk family to sell the franchise. Reynolds has made himself visible around the city of Ottawa as of late, attending games during the final stretch of the regular season and meeting with Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe. Reynolds and his group also met with the National Capital Commission, which owns LeBreton Flats, the area that is being targeted for a new arena in the downtown core of Ottawa.

The Senators went up for sale back in November following the tragic passing of owner Eugene Melynk, who left the team to his daughters, Anna and Olivia. One of the conditions of the sale is to keep the franchise in Ottawa.

This would also not be the first sports franchise that Reynolds owns. He purchased Welsh soccer club Wrexham FC in 2020, and the club recently got a promotion to the Football League for the first time in 15 years. 

“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.”