NHL Rumors: Ryan Reynolds' Bid to Buy Ottawa Senators Won't Move Forward

It's a disappointing day for Ottawa's Deadpool lovers.

Actor Ryan Reynolds will not be moving forward with his bid to own the Ottawa Senators, according to ESPN's Emily Kaplan.

Reynolds was preparing a bid for the Senators alongside real estate mogul Christopher Bratty and the Remington Group. Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun reported two weeks ago the bid was estimated to be worth over $1 billion.

Neither Reynolds nor the rest of the Remington Group will be moving forward with the bid, Garrioch reported.

Reynolds requested "an exclusive window to complete the deal" and was denied, per Kaplan. The deadline for final, non-binding offers for the Ottawa team is May 15.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman previously told ESPN he had met with Reynolds to discuss potential ownership of the Senators.

The news comes after Snoop Dogg recently reaffirmed he will be part of a bid for the Senators led by businessman Neko Sparks. Sparks was reportedly the highest bidder in the first round of bidding, with an offer of over $900 million.

Garrioch reported that other interested bidders include Michael Andlauer, who owns the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs and 20 percent of the Montreal Canadiens, Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé, billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos, and Jeffrey and Michael Kimel, previous owners of a minority piece of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Forbes valued the Ottawa Senators at $800 million last December, but after high first-round bids, the team's value has reportedly approached $1 billion.

That price would make this the most expensive hockey team transaction since the Fenway Sports Group purchased the Penguins in 2021 for $900 million. Forbes projected that price was equal to 4.5x the Pittsburgh team's projected revenue for the 2021-22 season, while Fenway Sports Group chairman Tom Werner said it was the value of an "iconic" brand.

The Senators have been looking at moving their arena, currently miles from the city center, toward Ottawa's downtown. That's an additional cost for the team's future owner to consider. Whoever that is, it will likely not be Reynolds.