Actor. Producer. NHL team owner?
With the recent news of the Melnyk family beginning the early stages of putting the Senators up for sale, Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds could be one of the next owners of the team. A source told People this week that Reynolds is “very interested” in buying the club.
This is the first rumblings of a potential sale of the Ottawa NHL club since the team’s owner, Eugene Melnyk, died in March. The team was a part of a large estate that he left for his daughters, Anna and Olivia.
If the rumors of his interest weren’t enough, Reynolds added to the intrigue on social media. The actor tweeted a video Tuesday promoting his upcoming musical, “Spirited.” In the comments, someone replied that Reynolds should be the team’s next owner. He tweeted this back:
🤔
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) November 1, 2022
“Yeah, that’s interesting, you hear all this stuff come out,” Senators coach D.J. Smith said Thursday about Reynolds potentially becoming the team’s owner. “For us as a group, we just want to win hockey games, and we’re going to do everything we can.”
Reynolds, 46, is a native of Vancouver but spent time in the Ottawa neighborhood of Vanier and has maintained ties to the city. He even has a street named after him, Ryan Reynolds Way.
This would not be the first sports team Reynolds has financially tied himself to. In 2020 the “Deadpool” star became a co-owner of Wrexham AFC, a Welsh soccer club, with fellow actor Rob McElhenney.
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If Reynolds were to be a part of the group to purchase the team, he does have a goal in mind. The source that spoke to People also said “it is important to Reynolds the team stay in Ottawa,” meaning a relocation would not occur with the new ownership group in place.
Is Ryan Reynolds buying the Senators?
While Reynolds is by far the most popular name tied to the potential sale of the Senators so far, he is not the only one.
According to The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, the Senators’ board of directors has “already interviewed sell-side bankers,” and “there is significant interest in the franchise.” The Melnyk family has hired Galatioto Sports Partners, a New York investment bank, to help sell the franchise.
While Reynolds may have interest in buying the team, it may not make the most financial sense. Despite his massive net worth, the Senators will cost a pretty penny. Some experts believe that while he could own a small stake in the team, someone with more money in their bank account needs to be the primary owner.
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“It’s going to require very, very deep pockets,” Moshe Lander, an economics professor at Concordia University, said to CBC. “And if you want to sell small symbolic stakes to people like Ryan Reynolds, go for it — but there better be a figurehead at the front who has a lot of zeros after his name.”
What is the Senators’ total franchise value?
In Sportico’s latest release of team values, the Senators were ranked toward the bottom. The team’s total value is estimated to be $655 million, which is 27th out of the 32 teams in the NHL.
Only the Sabres, Hurricanes, Blue Jackets, Panthers and Coyotes hold a lower value.
Ryan Reynolds net worth
Reynolds has done pretty well for himself with his acting career. He is estimated to have a net worth of $150 million. He is one of the highest-grossing film actors of all time, as his worldwide box-office gross is over $5 billion.
In addition to acting, Reynolds started his own production company, Maximum Effort. He also has invested in a number of companies, such as Aviation American Gin, Mint Mobile and Wealthsimple.
