Cyril Leeder: LeBreton is the Only Potential Arena Site the Ottawa Senators Are Serious About

As the Ottawa Senators continue to kick the tires on the idea of building a new arena closer to the heart of the city, they seem to have no shortage of options on where to build it. There have been several possible locations that have been bandied about by media and local officials in the past year. 

They include the land at Bayview Yards, the RCGT Park baseball stadium, property around the Hurdman transit station, and the DND complex, to name just a few.

However, according to Senators' president and CEO Cyril Leeder, who was back on the job this year after a six-year absence, their short list of NHL arena site options is about as short as it gets. 

Leeder fielded questions on Tuesday at "Build Up Ottawa," the Ottawa Board of Trade's annual City Building Summit. The event was billed as an "inclusive conversation about the future of Canada's Capital Region." 

When asked at the event about rumblings of other possible arena sites beyond LeBreton, Leeder clarified the matter, saying that while it's too early to definitively say where the arena is going to go, the only site they're really serious at this point is LeBreton.

It's possible that Leeder's proclamation is strategic, perhaps designed to engage and activate other potential sites and the people who back them.

While LeBreton is an outstanding location, it's not a perfect one. For example, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had concerns about its size, which is 6.3 acres on Albert Street, between Preston Street and City Centre Avenue.

"It struck me as being a little small," Bettman told the Ottawa media last year. "Because you want to do things around an arena. You need parking. You want to make sure you can build the arena big enough to have all the loading docks and TV hookups that make a building really accessible."

Back in 2022, after the passing of owner Eugene Melynk, the Senators got preferred-bidder status to negotiate with the NCC on the terms for building a major events centre that would house the NHL team and be LeBreton's main attraction.

The Sens also listed some heavy hitters who supported their bid, including:

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Last year at his welcoming news conference, new owner Michael Andlauer hinted at how a new arena construction might be funded.

"Edmonton was successful in getting a new arena done with a public-private partnership," Andlauer said. "There are some best practices to look at and we'll see where that goes."

Leeder said the arrangement with the NCC has some shortcomings that both sides are still working on but didn't go into specifics. That said, with Andlauer and Leeder at the helm, it's abundantly clear that ongoing talks are likely to be more collegial than they've been in the past. 

The Sens memorandum of understanding with the NCC in regards to LeBreton is scheduled to expire in this fall.