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No news was good news for the Ottawa Senators where the LeBreton Flats project was concerned.
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The National Capital Commission’s board of directors were given an update on the request for interest during a meeting Thursday, but there wasn’t a whole lot to chew on publicly when the meeting wrapped up just before noon.
We believe Senators owner Eugene Melnik and a group of partners had signed off on a bid to build a new home for his team before Melnyk passed away from a lengthy illness March 28, but nobody is allowed to confirm that.
An NCC official assigned to the project wouldn’t even tell Greater Ottawa Jim Watson how many groups were bidding during the question period. The request for submissions closed on Feb. 28.
“There were multiple submissions received,” said Laura Mueller, the NCC’s chief of planning and engagement. “The evaluation has been reviewing the proposals very carefully with the intent of achieving feasible capital building projects.
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“We know the public has a keen interest and we’re working to advance the selection and due-diligence process so we can provide more information to the public as soon as possible.”
The expectation is in the next two weeks, the NCC will reach out to the selected group to build on the site and then begin negotiations to put a letter of intent in place by early June. Once the letter is signed, the government agency hopes to have a lease in place by the end of 2022.
Mueller promised a larger update in June.
If you’re wondering why this is good news, it means the dream of a downtown arena for the Senators remains on the table. The NCC has threatened the bidders with expulsion if they confirm anything publicly, so silence remains golden.
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We’ll see where this goes in the next two months, but we’ll treat the silence from the good people at the NCC as a step in the right direction for the Senators.
YOU WERE SAYING, GALLY?
Brendan Gallagher might want to apologize Tim Stuetzle.
The Montreal Canadiens’ winger accused the Senators’ sophomore of being a diver after the club’s 6-3 win over the Habs on Tuesday at the Bell Centre, but it turns out Stuetzle was injured on the play Gallagher was complaining about.
He didn’t suit up against the Nashville Predators on Thursday because he suffered a knee injury on a hit from Montreal’s Nick Suzuki at the end of the second period.
If anything, Gallagher probably talked the NHL out of suspending Suzuki for the incident, because in hindsight the department of player safety should have taken action.
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“It’s from the knee the other day. (Stuetzle) limped to the bus and he was in here (Wednesday) working on it,” coach DJ Smith said. “He didn’t feel great and we’ll see how he is. If there’s any chance of him further hurting himself, we’re not going to risk that.”
Smith dismissed Gallagher’s comments.
“Tim might not play so it’s fairly obvious: I watched him limp to the bus, I watched him take a high stick in the face,” said Smith. “I respect Gallagher as a player but we’ll just let the referees and the league do their job.
“The fact that Timmy is as banged up as he is (shows) it’s fairly obvious what happened.”
Is Smith worried about Stuetzle having a reputation as a diver?
“I don’t see it. The reputation is coming from what one guy said, and I don’t see that,” said Smith.
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The Senators were forced to make three changes. forwards Drake Batherson and Dylan Gambrell weren’t on the ice in the morning and were both scratched with non-COVID related illness.
The club recalled center Mark Kastelic and winger Cole Reinhardt from its AHL affiliate In Belleville.
A sixth-round pick in 2020, Reinhardt is the fifth player to make his NHL debut with the Senators this season. I have joined a list that includes Igor Sokolov, Lassie Thomson, mads sogaard and Kastelic, who was recalled earlier this season.
TO HOMECOMING
nice to see Mark Borowiecki back in Ottawa.
He’s one of the nicest guys to ever pull on the jersey and he gave everything he had every night.
Borowiecki grew up here and was drafted by the Senators, so this was special. He had dinner with parents Wednesday night and they were in Club Bell along with some of his closest friends to watch the game.
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“It’s been strange. I’ve been to the Brookstreet but I’ve never spent the night there and it was weird to stay in a hotel in your hometown,” Borowiecki said. “It was a little emotional coming this morning.
“It’s not just where I played, this is where I grew up and it’s home for me.”
He said when the bus was driving down “Richardson Side Rd. I was getting a little emotional. I used to live down here so I had a bit of a pit in my stomach. I won’t lie, but it’s not for any bad reasons. It’s just emotional and sentimental for sure.”
THE LAST WORDS
It won’t be long before a decision is made by Hockey Canada on the host cities for the 2023 IIHF world junior championship.
While the Senators entered a bid with the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group to play games at the Canadian Tire Center and at TD Place, there’s no shortage of competition.
The London Knights and Kitchener Rangers, two historic OHL franchises, have teamed up for a bid, while the cities of Quebec City/Trois Rivieres have a large financial backing from the province of Quebec. Halifax/Moncton also are entered, along with Regina/Saskatoon.
