SENSNEWS

The Senators’ organization has been incredibly busy over the last couple of weeks on all fronts. Steve Staios has been handling a Shane Pinto extension while also negotiating trades with both the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Ryan Bowness has been steadily ticking off the boxes for RFAs in Belleville. After bringing back Cole Reinhardt, Max Guenette, and Angus Crookshank last week, he has since re-upped two more players in Nikolas Matinpalo and Jamieson Rees.

Don Boyd and the scouting staff have been working closely with Staios and Bowness in anticipation of the 2024 NHL draft. The Senators will have three selections (so far) in the top 40 of the draft.

On the business side of things, Cyril Leeder and Michael Andlauer continue to work tirelessly on an Ottawa Senators new arena.

Tobi Nussbaum of the NCC provided an update on the ongoing negotiations in his discussions with Bruce Garrioch.

So buckle up and let’s get into the latest updates on all facets of the Ottawa Senators’ organization.

Ottawa Senators New Arena Update

Fans have been patiently waiting for the better half of a decade now for the finalization of a deal that would bring a new arena to downtown Ottawa for the Ottawa Senators to move into.

A new arena is overdue for the Senators. The geographical issues with the CTC have created limitations for fans in the city of Ottawa. A new deal for a downtown arena, specifically LeBreton Flats, would solve this problem.

But with any business deal of this magnitude, there are, of course, going to be a lot of discussions that need to take place.

When negotiating a project that will cost somewhere in the hundreds of millions of dollars, people will fight for every inch.

The good news is that things are moving in the right direction between the Senators and the NCC. The two parties have a deadline set for September 20th of this year for a finalized lease agreement.

“The conversations are ongoing, and there is a will on both sides. That is clear. Both sides are hoping to be able to come to an agreement.

Bruce Garrioch

“At the same time, it’s a complex project, as you know, so we gave ourselves until September. We’re only in June, and we have three more months. I think both sides are committed to using that period to see if we can come to an agreement.”

Bruce Garrioch

While Nussbaum didn’t comment on how close the two parties are to an agreement, his words were encouraging.

These types of negotiations are very delicate, and it’s likely that Nussbaum didn’t want to say something too concrete given the stakes at play.

But the key here is that both groups are dedicated to formulating an agreement. With the Melnyk regime in past years, the goodwill and dedication to completing an agreement were questionable, to say the least.

Tobi Nussbaum went on to say that there is a plan B if things don’t work out with the Senators. But again, it is everyone’s hope that things will work out and the two will come to an agreement.

Another notable piece of information from Garrioch is that the Senators would like to have an “arena district” surrounding a new building. This is something that worked out extremely well with Rogers Place in Edmonton.

The club also wants land for an arena district with bars and restaurants as a gathering place.

Bruce Garrioch

As of now, there are seven acres of land that have been set out for the Ottawa Senators’ lease agreement.

However, Garrioch mentions that Nussbaum and the NCC have publicly stated there is flexibility about more land being available, specifically five or six more acres.

Andlauer has estimated a new downtown arena — no matter where it’s located — will cost at least $900 million and, if it’s going to happen, it has to make financial sense.

Bruce Garrioch

That is one pretty penny. But as Garrioch notes in the case of the Oilers, the organization paid just $153 million of the $600 million+ project that allowed for a new arena and surrounding district.

Garrioch mentioned that the Senators may be looking at exploring this route for financing a new arena.

Again, everything is very complicated with these negotiations. If there is one thing to take away from this, it’s that things are moving in the right direction.

Senators Re-Sign Jamieson Rees and Nikolas Matinpalo

Two Belleville Senators have been re-signed to 1-year, 2-way deals following their first seasons with the team. Jamieson Rees has been brought back at $775K as his NHL salary and $85K at the AHL level.

Nikolas Matinpalo has officially become the highest-paid Belleville Senator, being brought back at the same NHL value as Rees ($775K) but also a significant raise to $200K at the AHL level.

Matinpalo was half of the top pair in Belleville this season, along with prospect Tyler Kleven. Matinpalo led the team with a +15, one ahead of his defense partner Kleven who was at +14.

He also put up four goals and 10 assists in 67 games with the Belleville Senators. The organization clearly thinks very highly of Matinpalo, and Belleville will be very excited to have him back next season.

Jamieson Rees came over to Belleville at the trade deadline this season. Being acquired for a 6th-round pick, Rees found himself a victim of the farm team-less Carolina Hurricanes.

In 14 games with Belleville, Rees recorded four assists. He struggled a little bit finding his role with Belleville, but that shouldn’t be an issue this upcoming season. For the first time in a while, Rees knows what to expect come September.

The Senators and Rees will both be hoping that he can get closer to the level he was at in 2022/2023 with the Chicago Wolves. Rees recorded 42 points in 65 games that season and looked like a great up-and-coming prospect.

One thing is for sure, Belleville is a better team with both of these guys in the lineup. Here’s to wishing them both a great upcoming season with the Senators!