Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk's RendezVous LeBreton was granted preferred status on Thursday, winning the bid to redevelop LeBreton Flats - the coveted slice of real estate close to the downtown core.
It's now up to him and his team to negotiate with the National Capital Commission, which recommended his bid over another submission, to broker a deal that will bring the Senators a new arena.
Melnyk said this moves "solidifies" the franchise, and hopes it's a step in bringing in the franchises first Stanley Cup.
Melnyk telling @EvanLSolomon "This is the biggest day in franchise history". "Will lead to a Stanley Cup coming to Ottawa".
Immediately looking ahead, Melnyk announced shortly after the decision that the plan is to have the Senators begin their 2021-22 season in an arena built downtown.
Plans for Kanata's Canadian Tire Center will be unveiled when the process is completed, according to the Senators owner.
The 34-year-old made the announcement after 13 professional seasons, nine of which he spent in the NHL.
"I feel privileged to have played for a decade in the NHL and to have had the support of four great organizations in Boston, New York, Toronto and Calgary," Orr said in a release. "I am grateful to have had the opportunity to play with great teammates and against great players, many of whom have become great friends. It has been an amazing journey that would not have been anywhere near as fulfilling as it was without the love and support of fans, friends, agents, GMs, coaches and family."
Orr spent time with the Boston Bruins and New York Rangers, but struck a chord with Maple Leafs fans for his skill in the fisticuffs.
He finishes his career with 12 goals, 12 assists, and 1,186 penalty minutes.
TORONTO - Former NHL tough guy Colton Orr has retired after a 13-year professional career.
Orr played 477 career NHL games Boston Bruins, the New York Rangers and Toronto, piling up 1,186 penalty minutes.
The six-foot-three, 225-pound Winn...
If the ping-pong balls had landed just right last year for his hometown, Connor McDavid would, in least a figurative sense, be at the very height of the city of Toronto.
But, because the Edmonton Oilers have that lottery locked, Maple Leafs fans will just have to settle for a little Photoshop.
McDavid posted this photo to his Twitter on Thursday, showing that he too is excited for fellow local product Drake's new album to drop.
John Torchetti could have a leg up on the competition.
Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher told reporters Thursday that the interim boss, after his work in recovering a postseason berth, has emerged as a "very serious candidate" for the full-time role
"Torchetti was able to push and pull this team into a playoff position," Fletcher said.
The former Iowa Wild boss inherited Mike Yeo's floundering roster in mid-February, taking a team that lost 13 of the 14 games that preceded his arrival, and performing above the .500 mark the rest of the way.
Torchetti sparked some of the younger members of the Wild, namely Nino Niederreiter, Erik Haula, Mikael Granlund, and Matt Dumba. But significant injuries and ultimately a general scoring dearth resulted in the club backing into the postseason with 87 points before bowing out to the top-seeded Dallas Stars in six games.
While viewership for the NHL playoffs is down in Canada, Saturday's draft lottery is sure to pique interest up north.
Heading into the lottery, Canadian clubs hold a collective 68.5-percent chance of snatching the illustrious first overall selection. The top pick is difficult for any club to attain, and in recent time has been near impossible for all Canadian clubs to acquire, outside of the Edmonton Oilers.
In the last 20 years, the Oilers are the lone Canadian team to own the draft's first pick. While they've seemingly hoarded top picks, selecting first in four of the past six drafts, the other Canadian clubs have endured first-pick droughts.
Here's a look a look at each Canadian team's last go round with the 1st overall pick:
Edmonton Oilers (last 1st pick: 2015)
While the Oilers didn't start accumulating first overall picks until 2010 when they selected Taylor Hall, the team has since come out on the winning side of the draft more often than not.
They've been the envy of the league - in terms of draft position - and even managed to muscle away "The Next One" in Connor McDavid from the Buffalo Sabres last year.
Ottawa Senators (last 1st pick: 1996)
The last Canadian team other than the Oilers to pick first overall was the Senators. And, like the Oilers, they enjoyed a string of bad seasons that saw them pick first in 1993, 1995, and 1996.
They used the picks to select Alexandre Daigle, Bryan Berard, and Chris Phillips, with the latter two turning out slightly better than the first.
Quebec Nordiques
The Nordiques - the now-Colorado Avalanche - were the third to last Canadian team to have the first pick.
As part of the trend, they too enjoyed three straight No. 1 selections from 1989-1991, but what a haul they got. The team used the picks to draft Mats Sundin, Owen Nolan, and Eric Lindros. Although we all know what happened to Lindros.
Toronto Maple Leafs (last 1st pick: 1985)
While fans of the Maple Leafs have felt the agony of no Stanley Cup since 1967, and just one playoff appearance in the last 12 years, they've also had just one first overall selection in 30 years.
In 1985, the Leafs selected Wendel Clark. Though he became a fan favorite, he didn't help put an end to the team's Cup drought. Until this season, the team hasn't been bad enough - or they traded away their pick (Scott Niedermayer; Tyler Seguin) - to select a potential franchise player.
Winnipeg Jets (last 1st pick: 1981)
While the Jets went on hiatus when the team moved to Phoenix in 1996, and returned in 2011 after the relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers, the city hasn't seen the likes of a first overall pick since Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk was picked in 1981.
Hawerchuk would capture the Calder Trophy during the 1981-82 season and hit the 100-point plateau in six of his nine seasons with the team.
Montreal Canadiens (last 1st pick: 1980)
The Canadiens' first overall pick drought runs deep, but to be fair, they've also captured a Stanley Cup in the last 23 years, which no other Canadian team has done.
Not all first overall picks are studs, though.
In 1980, the club selected Doug Wickenheiser ahead of Denis Savard and Paul Coffey. Unfortunately, he played only four seasons with the team, never hitting more than 25 goals or 55 points in a season.
Credit where credit is due, though: they did draft Guy Lafleur first overall in 1971 and he turned out pretty well.
Vancouver Canucks/Calgary Flames (zero 1st overall picks)
And while the teams above may sulk at the fact they've had long dry spells between first overall selections, the fact is those picks are luxuries and not owed.
The Canucks and Flames have gone their entire existences without ever picking first, dating back to 1970 and 1972, respectively.
However, with another draft lottery just days away, hope once again springs eternal with yet another chance at hockey's ultimate last-place prize.
This season marks the best chance Canadian teams have had at adding raw talent. There's collective 55-percent chance a team not named the Oilers will be awarded such a rare opportunity.
A clash of Central Division titans is locked into place as the St. Louis Blues get set to take on the Dallas Stars in what promises to be a high-octane series.
Fresh off slaying the postseason beast that is the Chicago Blackhawks, the Blues enter the second round feeling confident, while the Stars eliminated the Minnesota Wild by a matter of millimeters in Game 6.
Both teams battled for the division crown all the way down to the wire, with the Stars ultimately edging the Blues by a single win.
Although Dallas claimed the NHL's toughest division, St. Louis convincingly took the season series 4-1, and Ken Hitchcock's crew has the recipe to do the same in the playoffs.
Here's why:
Confidence
Winning a Game 7 on home ice is a confidence boost for any team, but perhaps even more significant for the Blues than defeating their biggest rival was reminding themselves they're capable of winning.
With at least 107 points in each of the last four non-lockout seasons, the Blues are consistently labeled contenders, but they've only made it out of the first round once in that time ... and then got swept by the Los Angeles Kings.
Ahead of Game 7, naysayers all but guaranteed St. Louis would lose another opening-round series, especially after failing to vanquish the defending champions on two occasions. But this season is different. The Blues won, and overcame their most difficult opponent: themselves.
Balance
It's no secret the Stars can put the puck in the net, averaging 3.5 goals per game versus Minnesota, but the Blues run much deeper than the Wild.
Piloted by Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza - with 10 and nine points in the opening round, respectively - the Stars will face a stronger defense corps in St. Louis, the same one that held Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane to a single goal combined. Tyler Seguin's uncertain health also hinders Dallas' attack.
Dallas' offense has carried the team to this point, but an inability to keep the puck out of its net separates the Stars from true contending status. Dallas ranked 19th in the NHL with 2.78 goals allowed per game in the regular season.
Although St. Louis doesn't pack the same scoring punch as Dallas, the Blues have their fair share of game-breakers. Vladimir Tarasenko goes without saying, but forwards Jaden Schwartz, Robby Fabbri, and Alex Steen provide enough additional options to give opposing defensemen nightmares.
Overall, the Blues' depth provides them a chance to neutralize the Stars' greatest asset - and also expose their greatest weakness.
X-factor: Alex Pietrangelo
While everyone bantered over Tarasenko's ice time, Pietrangelo put together a rather productive series against Chicago.
The anchor of the Blues' back end is usually coveted more for his stabilizing defense than his offensive prowess, but the 26-year-old scored six points versus the Blackhawks.
Not to mention the 30:33 of ice time he averaged in the opening round.
Pietrangelo will be pitted against Dallas' top line, and will surely be used in both even-strength and special-teams scenarios. Look for him to step up versus some of the league's most elite scorers once again.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper was, however, able to offer an encouraging update on the status of the depth forward.
"He's doing a lot better than the actual hit looked. Whether he's going to skate in the next couple days I'm not too sure," Cooper said, according to Bryan Burns of NHL.com.
Condra hasn't been ruled out from practicing Friday.
