Senators hopeful for LeBreton site deal ‘by the fall': Inside the team's new arena push

New York Times

22-07-2025

OTTAWA — Good news appears on the horizon in the Ottawa Senators' quest to replace their home arena at the Canadian Tire Centre.
The Senators are hopeful that a deal could be completed as soon as this fall between the team and the federally run National Capital Commission, giving them control of a 10-acre plot of land at LeBreton Flats that would bring them much closer to the city's downtown core. Last September, the NCC and the Senators agreed in principle on a new entertainment venue to be built on the land. But a sale price had yet to be determined, with the Senators setting a goal of obtaining the land sometime in 2025.
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'I think we're close. I think we're really close,' Senators owner Michael Andlauer told The Athletic in an interview earlier this month. 'There has been great cooperation from the NCC lately. I think we both want this to happen now.'
Late last week, the Ottawa Sun reported that 'real progress' was being made between the NCC and the Senators on a new arena to be built at LeBreton Flats, located west of Parliament Hill. The matter could even be resolved by late September, when the NCC holds its annual public meeting.
'You have to get an agreement. We're not there yet,' Senators president Cyril Leeder told The Athletic on Monday. 'Then, when you get an agreement, you have to satisfy your due diligence. We're not there yet. And then you have to satisfy all the conditions, one of which will be a plan that everybody likes and agrees to, including us, the NCC, the city, everybody else that's involved. I think, by the fall, it'd be reasonable to think that we should have the site under contract and we should be well underway, if not completed, most of the due diligence.'
'Both parties are working hard to reach an agreement and are committed to bringing a major events centre to LeBreton Flats,' NCC spokesman Benoit Desjardins wrote in an email to The Athletic.
Leeder says that once a deal is completed, the team will be at the 'starting line' for its new event centre. So, don't expect shovels in the ground just yet. The Senators still need to complete studies on mobility, transport, parking and remediation, in addition to financing.
'So, there's a whole host of issues that keep me awake at night that have to get resolved,' Leeder said.
When asked about what the sale price could be for the land, Leeder could only say that it would be a 'fair market value,' as was agreed upon last September.
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'Whatever the fair market value is, we're going to pay,' Leeder said. 'We're not looking for a bonus. We're not looking for (the NCC) to do us a favour. But we don't want to pay over market, and we have to buy the land.'
Until then, the Senators expect to stay at the Canadian Tire Centre, located in the western Ottawa borough of Kanata, for 'at least' the next five years, Leeder said. Previously known as the Palladium, the Corel Centre and Scotiabank Place, the rink has been the Senators' home since 1996. But attempts to move to a downtown arena have been ongoing for over a decade, from when Eugene Melnyk was still the team's primary owner. Andlauer envisions the new arena being a 'destination' for tourists as well as citizens of Ottawa and Gatineau, while also attracting more musical artists to perform.
'There's so many areas of opportunity,' Andlauer said. 'And all we are is a catalyst in making this happen, because all we really are is a hockey club that's only going to play 40 — hopefully 46 to 47 — times a year.'
In the meantime, the Senators will make adjustments to their current home. Andlauer told The Athletic in early July that they planned on replacing the older, fabric-based seats — which had been in place for over 30 years — in the lower bowl of Canadian Tire Centre with more leather-bound ones. That process was completed last week, according to Leeder.
'Michael was pretty adamant,' Leeder said. 'He said that he wanted to upgrade those seats. I think you'll see more of those upgrades, not less, in the future.'
The Senators owner touted additional 'improvements' in the form of paint jobs, upgrades to the team's gym and new arena catering. Andlauer has also considered a new JumboTron, estimating that a new one might cost $10 million.
'It's been on my mind because I don't know how long it's going to take to get LeBreton going,' Andlauer said. 'How do I make it better for the fans without blowing my brains out too? I mean, there's got to be a balance, right?'
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Leeder teased that more announcements could come soon but declined to speak further.
'We have a few things we're working on that we may be able to talk about,' Leeder said. 'But we're, we're not far enough along, and I don't want to let the cat out of the bag yet.'
However, don't expect a 'huge overhaul' on the Canadian Tire Centre with a pending resolution for LeBreton Flats on the way.
'Because if we're going to go to LeBreton, I'll spend that money there,' Andlauer said.
'We've got that five-year window,' Leeder said. 'And we're going to continue to make upgrades to the building that are necessary and the ones that we see fit. And yes, most of them will be just keeping the lights on and keeping it going. But it's still a pretty good building. It still functions at a high level.'