Will the Ottawa Senators make a splash this summer? Owner Michael Andlauer believes there will be plenty of teams around the National Hockey League plotting big moves.
Speaking with reporters at the Canadian Golf & Country Club on Friday morning ahead of the Sens’ annual alumni charity golf tournament, Andlauer gave his thoughts on what could play out around the league this off-season.
“It doesn’t look like it’s a really big free-agent market this year,” he said. “So maybe people will overpay, but I think there’s going to be a lot of things going on because there’s not enough free agents. I think people are going to want to do trades and all, and the fact that the cap is going up, I think there’s going to be people going to look at that as an opportunity.”
So, what about that cap? The league-wide limit will rise to $104 million for 2026-27, over $8 million more than the previous season. Steep growth is projected beyond next year, too, as the cap will hit $113.5 million in 2027-28. Will general manager Steve Staios be authorized to do whatever he sees fit?
“It’s difficult, but this is a passion of mine,” Andlauer said. “This year we spent; our cash over cap was higher. So whatever it’s going to take to bring a cup to Ottawa.”
After failing to win a playoff game this spring — swept in Round 1 by the Eastern Conference-champion Carolina Hurricanes — it became evident that the Senators were still a couple pieces and some development and maturity away from being a Stanley Cup contender. Ever since their abrupt exit, the search for a scoring winger to play alongside star centre Tim Stutzle has dominated off-season chatter among fans and pundits.
While Andlauer’s persistence with league officials paid off in recouping the franchise’s 2026 first-round draft pick, selecting 32nd overall won’t make the big club any better in time for training camp.
Andlauer deferred to Staios when asked about how aggressive the Senators planned to be in free agency and on the trade market.
“We’re staying the course and there’s nothing urgent,” he said, “but also I think there’s areas that (Staios) wants to improve on, and he’s focused on those things.
“Steve’s always working … He’s probably the hardest working Senator in our hockey club.”
Still hopeful for government funding at LeBreton Flats
Ten months after the Senators and National Capital Commission announced an agreement for the purchase and sale of land at LeBreton Flats, Andlauer confirmed Friday that the process remained very much in the planning phase.
The organization and its stakeholders have spent “millions of dollars” in preparation for the project, collaborating with sports stadium designer Populous Holdings, PCL Construction and design and consulting company Stantec.
Andlauer emphasized the importance of producing “real solid facts” about housing on the land, transit and environmental needs, and overall cost estimates before opening up more serious discussions with all levels of government.
“We’re keeping the governments apprised. There hasn’t been an ask. It’s just letting them know what we’re doing and understanding that, if there’s collaboration there, then so be it, whether it be with the city or the province or the federal government. But we’re not even at that stage yet. I think we need to understand exactly what it’s going to look like.”
The Ottawa Citizen reported in December that the Senators had hired Toronto-based lobbying firm StrategyCorp to engage with representatives of the federal and provincial governments on behalf of the club. Andlauer was asked Friday whether he could picture a world where the new downtown arena was privately financed.
“It’s not just an arena, it’s a whole development,” he responded. “The arena’s actually, in my opinion, going to be a small part of the whole development. We’re trying to do something special here.”
That’s going to take some time.
“I remember when we first did the deal with the NCC,” Andlauer recalled. “I was all excited and I thought, oh gosh, you know, maybe three years, four years. It’s going to take a while, but you’ve only got one chance to do it right. But it’s nice to see that everybody, whether it be the city or the NCC and the stakeholders, we’re all being more collaborative, understanding what could be.”
When construction will be completed, only god knows that. However, there will be more milestones soon. The completion of the sale of the 11 acres, which the Citizen has reported to be worth $37 million, is expected to happen later this year.
“It’s about sustainability,” Andlauer said. “It’s about being around. I’ve always run my businesses in a way where I don’t look at next quarter’s financial results. It’s about: What are we going to be in the next five years?
“What’s going to make Ottawa be able to continue to have an NHL team and be proud of it and have 100-plus-million-dollar U.S. payroll, and pay our fair share of taxes to all the governments?”
More CTC renovations
Back in Kanata, the Canadian Tire Centre could have a different look and feel inside the arena come October.
Andlauer says they’re planning to remove 600-700 seats in the upper bowl to create a new lounge.
Back in March, in response to an overwhelming Montreal Canadiens fan takeover at the CTC, President Cyril Leeder told the Citizen that the organization was looking at 300-level renovations in order to create a Sens-fans-only section.
“It’s going to take a while, but you’ve only got one chance to do it right,” Senators owner Michael Andlauer says of the planned arena project at LeBreton Flats.
Sens to host rookie tournament
There’s a new effort in the Ottawa franchise’s hopes to win over more fans dans La Belle Province.
The Senators will host an NHL rookie tournament late this summer at Gatineau’s Slush Puppie Centre, home of the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League’s Gatineau Olympiques.
This news comes two months after the Citizen confirmed that Andlauer was in serious discussions with the Olympiques’ ownership group about the possibility of purchasing the junior hockey team.
Further details have yet to be announced, but the tournament will likely be held in mid-September and feature three other NHL teams. Surely, one of those clubs will be the Canadiens.
“And there’s other initiatives that we will be announcing in the summertime that we’re rolling out,” Andlauer said. “It’s a process. It’s two fans at a time.”
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