Ryan Reynolds' group will not acquire the Senators

Ryan Reynolds’ buying group is now reportedly no longer in the running to buy the Ottawa Senators. This was reported by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan on Thursday afternoon.

News: Ryan Reynolds’ bid to own the NHL’s Ottawa Senators is not moving forward, sources told ESPN.https://t.co/rYEWrsITzo

– Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) May 11, 2023

This is quite surprising, because TSN’s Bruce Garrioch reported a few days ago that the Remington Group, which includes Ryan Reynolds, was preparing an offer of over $1 billion.

As I reported, the Remington Group was prepared to make a $1 billion bid, was committed to a new arena downtown, redeveloping the Canadian Tire Centre and was prepared to bring in a local group led by Jeff York. #Sens

– Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) May 11, 2023

Reynolds’ group doesn’t appear to have pursued the purchase because the Senators didn’t give him exclusive rights to negotiate. Indeed, Snoop Dogg and Neko Sparks’ band, as well as The Weeknd with Jeffrey and Michael Kimel’s band, have all joined the race for the Sens in recent days.

In fact, Reynolds had requested exclusivity in the negotiations so that he could take the time to negotiate with the bank and the City of Ottawa for a new land deal or renovations to the Canadian Tire Centre. The request was refused by the Senators, and Reynolds and his group withdrew.

Was told GSP and the club’s board of directors turned down that request. They weren’t willing to grant that exclusivity and wanted Remington Group to wait until after May 15 to see where the bids came in. #Sens https://t.co/zXyCYVX6OY

– Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) May 11, 2023

This is bad news for the NHL. Ryan Reynolds is one of the world’s biggest celebrities and would certainly have brought a lot of popularity to the league. As a simple comparison: the NHL’s Instagram account has 6 million followers, compared to Reynolds’ 49 million.

Fortunately for the league, Ryan Reynolds wasn’t the only celebrity in the running. Snoop Dogg and The Weeknd can certainly bring a lot of attention to the Senators.

The Senators are valued at $800 million according to Forbes magazine. Groups have until May 15 to submit their final bids. So we’ll know who the next Senators owners will be in the coming months.

Highlights

– The finalists for the Vézina Trophy are…

2023 Vezina Trophy finalists: Connor Hellebuyck (WPG), Ilya Sorokin (NYI) and Linus Ullmark (BOS).

– Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 11, 2023

– We all hope so.

.@mathiasbrunet explained what expectations we should have for Owen Beck. 🔵⚪️🔴

To listen to his full review: https://t.co/amtKbPwTqh pic.twitter.com/e2PD0D5mkr

– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) May 11, 2023

– Good decision. May he enjoy life!

In a very touching message, Bob Hartley was keen to respond to rumours about his potential return behind the bench.❤️

To hear his full column with @MartinLemay: https://t.co/75qXkZMEha pic.twitter.com/vMSIttXm8H

– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) May 11, 2023

– I’m willing to bet he’d also like to get his hands on a first career title as a junior coach.

“Patrick Roy hopes his players will lift the Gilles-Courteau Trophy(@KDubeJDQ )https://t.co/Ox6MBuE9x0

– Le Journal de Québec (@JdeQuebec) May 11, 2023

– Only a one-game suspension for this gesture.

He should be suspended for the series after that slashing, this is a clear attempt to hurt someone! How many games do you all think he should get for this? @EdmontonOilers @NHL https://t.co/PM5oS57SmV

– Georges Laraque (@GeorgesLaraque) May 11, 2023