After a long, drawn-out process, the Ottawa Senators have finally sold. Michael Andlauer has come out on top and is set to become the owner of the team. He has already been a part of an NHL ownership team with the Montreal Canadiens, owning a 10 percent stake, which he will have to sell to the remaining ownership group of the Canadiens.
The sale was for USD$950 million, making it the most expensive sale of a team in NHL history, topping the Pittsburgh Penguins’ sale of USD$900 million.
Not only was it the Canadiens that Andlauer held a stake in, but he is also the owner of the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Hamilton Bulldogs. His experience with a stake in a team is highly desired by the NHL when it comes to new franchise owners. Not only is he the owner of the team, but Anna and Olivia Melnyk retained a 10 percent stake to keep part of the team within the Melnyk family.
Andlauer, who owns the Andlauer Healthcare Group, did bring in 15-plus other local financial supporters and from the beginning was looked at as the most stable bid out there. Jeff York, brother of former Senator and long-time NHLer Jason York, co-CEO of Farm Boys, Inc. and Ottawa native, has been brought on board as well. CEO of Claridge Homes, Bill Malholtra, and the rest of his family have also jumped on board to be part of the team.
While more details about the sale trickle out as Andlauer awaits the NHL’s approval, there will be no shortage of speculation regarding the Senators’ front office. Odds are, no major changes will be made until the process is finally wrapped up, which will likely be in September, but crazier things have happened.
Either D.J. Smith or Patrick Roy Behind the Bench
Many Senators fans have expressed their frustration with current head coach D.J. Smith, while the majority of his players have publicly talked about how much they enjoy playing for him. Regardless of all of that, it is the results that matter, and Andlauer wants to bring the Stanley Cup to Ottawa with this loaded core they have. If he doesn’t believe Smith is going to be the one to do it, it sounds like the next man up has already been identified.
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Patrick Roy just coached his way to the Memorial Cup with the Quebec Ramparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) and coincidentally, just hours after Andlauer was announced as the successful bidder, Roy stepped down from his coaching position. He has been linked to Ottawa plenty over the past few weeks, starting with Darren Dreger reporting that one of the bidders wanted to bring Roy in. Though Roy says that the two are not connected, the Montreal connection could make sense for Andlauer wanting to bring him on, and I don’t think the timing was an accident.
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Along with the coaching position, the general manager spot has some uncertainty around it as well. While we may not be looking at a firing with this one, things could get interesting. Steve Staios was named president of Andlauer’s Bulldogs in 2016, and just recently in 2022, he was named to the Edmonton Oilers’ front office in a player development role. Since then, he has been linked to numerous vacancies around the league for general manager positions.
On DailyFaceoff LIVE, NHL Insider Frank Seravalli reported that he believes Staios will be the next general manager of the Senators. Steve “Dangle” Glynn also heard a similar rumor as he reported on his Twitter account.
It will be interesting to see how fast things change once Andlauer officially gets the right to make them. I expect Staios to be part of the front office, but immediately naming him general manager would seem premature. It is important to note that bringing in a new body to take over the general manager role can mean big changes, but the Senators don’t have a president of hockey operations at this time, and that could be Pierre Dorion’s next job.
Patience will be an important part of Andlauer making his mark in the nation’s capital. Smith and Dorion have never had a team built for success until now. It is time to see what they can really do together. The rebuild brought them to where they are now, and they look like they are destined for success with this core.
DeBrincat’s Decision Has Been Made
Bruce Garrioch’s latest article states that Alex DeBrincat enjoyed his season in Ottawa and enjoyed his teammates, but does not want to spend the next eight seasons in Ottawa (from ‘Michael Andlauer will have to roll up his sleeves once he takes over the Ottawa Senators, Ottawa Sun, June 13, 2023). Many were hoping that he would want to stick around and sign a long-term deal, but that sounds unlikely at the moment.
With the NHL Entry Draft quickly approaching, the Senators are going to have to make their decision. Dorion said that he is comfortable giving DeBrincat his one-year qualifying offer of $9 million, but that is less than ideal for the team. Could DeBrincat want to stick around on a shorter-term deal? Unlikely.
DeBrincat will likely be dealt this summer, and now that we know that, the mock trades are going to be flying around everywhere. It will be interesting to see how long it takes, and if Dorion is the one to pull the trigger or not.
Many changes are coming to the organization, from top to bottom, with the transition process officially underway toward the Andlauer regime. Whether we see these organizational changes this offseason or not, they are coming. Andlauer has experience running teams and enters this position with one goal; to win the Stanley Cup.