Latest report clarifies Ryan Reynolds’ role in Senators’ sale

Ottawa Senators’ fans got excited on Wednesday when a report from PEOPLE revealed how movie star Ryan Reynolds is very interested in buying the franchise.

Scepticism erupted when many fans and pundits pointed out that Reynolds’ net worth is estimated to be about $150 million, which means he would need to have investors involved to purchase the team, seeing that the Senators could reportedly sell for well over a billion.

On Friday morning, the Senators confirmed that they are officially up for sale, with the condition that the team stays put in Ottawa.

On Thursday’s Insider Trading on TSN, Darren Dreger offered the latest update in Reynolds’ interest and potential involvement in the purchase of the Senators:

“Having Ryan Reynolds involved in Ottawa Senators ownership certainly spices the process up a little bit. But as Bruce Garrioch, our colleague, has noted, Reynolds’ interest in owning at least a piece of the Sens is legit. But he hasn’t reached out to the National Hockey League just yet. And it’s also important to note that the formal sale process of the Ottawa Senators isn’t underway just yet either. When that process kicks into full gear, it won’t be just Ryan Reynolds who’s interested in minority ownership. There will be a number of capable candidates who will step up.”

The Senators are currently owned by Anna and Olivia Melnyk, daughters of former long-time owner Eugene Melnyk who passed away in March of 2022. The Melnyk daughters have done an admirable job of guiding the team in the months since their father’s passing but it’s believed that the pair are looking to cash out and sell the franchise to someone else, while staying minority owners.

In February 2021, Reynolds and fellow actor Rob McElhenney purchased the Welsh football club Wrexham AFC. If, like McElhenney did by reaching out to Reynolds to get financial help to buy the club, the Deadpool star can find other investors, he could indeed by the one of the next owners of the Senators in the near future.