Your Ottawa Senators Have Been Sold to Michael Andlauer

Stability.

That is all Senators want and deserve.

After almost two decades of turbulent chaos brought on by the Eugene Melnyk era, a new page was turned when it was announced that billionaire Michael Andlauer had reached an agreement in principle to buy the franchise and the arena for $950 million. If this were the Nashville Predators being sold, chances are they’d raise a ceremonial banner commemorating the fact that this is the highest price tag an NHL franchise has ever been sold for.

Now that an agreement is in place, the next step is for the league’s board of governors to approve the deal. Thanks to the league’s familiarity with Andlauer from his time as a minority owner with the Montreal Canadiens and through an extensive sale process, approval feels like a mere formality. The next board of governors meeting is slated for June 22nd.

According to the Senators’ official press release, Andlauer bought 90 percent of the franchise and ownership control. Eugene Melnyk’s daughters, Anna and Olivia, now own a 10 percent stake in the franchise.

The Fourth Period’s Dave Pagnotta tweeted that Claridge Homes’ Malhotra family and Farmboy’s co-CEO Jeff York are part of 20 local investors who have contributed approximately $100 million to the purchase. Having local ownership and representation is paramount because these individuals should not only have their finger on the pulse of this city and its identity, but they should have a more well-informed understanding of its fans.

It has taken a long time to get to this point and I’m not just talking about a sales process that felt like it dragged on forever, even though it was formally put up for sale last March. Fans, players, and even a mayor have been pining for competent new ownership for years.

To have it all reach its conclusion today feels surreal.

For everything this fan base has endured, enjoy this day.

A new beginning fuels optimism and there are many reasons to be excited and how refreshing is it to think that fans can stop worrying about the off-ice issues and focus almost exclusively on hockey-related matters? Bringing Daniel Alfredsson back in some official hockey operations capacity should be at the forefront. It is an easy public relations win that also serves as an endorsement of the new regime. A deep-pocketed owner should invest more capital into the hockey operations department which sorely needs more pro and amateur scouts. The front office also needs to develop and integrate an in-house analytics department into its decision-making process to help mitigate the potential for mistakes.

The Kimel brothers were viewed as an intriguing ownership group largely because they emphasized the importance of a robust front office that developed and integrated proprietary data to make more informed choices, but Shawn Ferris, a former employee of the Hamilton Bulldogs who now works for Evolving-Hockey, put some concerns to bed in regards to Andlauer’s successful bid.

Fresh voices and new ideas are sorely needed and if new ownership wants to sweep out the vestiges of the Melnyk era, I’m all for it. Hire Mark Borowiecki as a community ambassador while we are at it. At the very least, he should be the first person to exclusively interview Michael Andlauer.

Assuming the board of governors approves Andlauer’s purchase, that does not leave a ton of time for serious work to get done. Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch is reporting that the sale may not be finalized until September.

If the process takes that long, that leaves the Senators in a situation where it likely has to rely on incumbents like Pierre Dorion and D.J. Smith to remain in their roles. It could be a bit of an awkward spot. If Dorion does not have the support of new ownership but has to temporarily remain in his role, what kind of direction does he have and what will his motivations on deals be?

Considering the future of Alex DeBrincat is clouded, will he re-sign now that new ownership is seemingly in place? Or, after he submitted a list of preferred teams that he’d like to be dealt to, is that a trade that Dorion will be allowed to make without input from new ownership?

There are a lot of questions that need to be answered and what we don’t know is whether Andlauer will bring his own people into the fold once he takes ownership control. It has been long rumoured that if he was successful in his ownership bid, Steve Staios, the general manager of the Andlauer-owned Hamilton Bulldogs would be pegged as the Senators’ next general manager. In a radio hit earlier today, TSN’s Craig Button told TSN 1260 in Edmonton to “Say goodbye to Steve Staios. I think he will be the next GM for the Ottawa Senators.”

If true, I’d imagine that Staios has already done his due diligence on the Senators’ roster, farm system and situation. The question is how soon he can be brought into the role. If he arrives once the sale is finalized in the early fall, most of the rosters around the league will be solidified. There will likely be limited opportunities for player movement.

That is the one downside of this dragged-out process. With the 2023 NHL Draft — one of the biggest dates on the calendar for player movement — taking place in two weeks and the opening of NHL free agency occurring shortly thereafter on July 1st, the organization may be forced to rely on Dorion’s staff to lead them through the offseason. In what is a pivotal one for a Senators team that has lots of work to be done to improve and insulate their young core, that might not be the most encouraging thing.

Whatever the case, it certainly feels like fresh opinions, new voices and an influx of cash are on their way. If it happens earlier than the fall, it will be welcomed, but what’s more important than anything this offseason is that the front office avoids any pitfalls that could submarine this team’s medium and long-term competitiveness.