Bill Daly says Eugene Melnyk is not currently in negotiations to sell the Ottawa Senators.
"It is not accurate to suggest that Eugene Melnyk is (in) active discussions to sell the club," the NHL's deputy commissioner told TSN's Brent Wallace. "He is the owner of the club and I believe he wants to remain the owner going forward.''
Daly further attempted to clarify the Senators owner's intentions in an email to Postmedia's Bruce Garrioch.
"Eugene has no interest in selling the Senators," Daly wrote. "Offers are made for NHL teams all the time. Doesn't really mean anything."
Nicolas Ruszkowski, the Senators COO, offered this comment: “On behalf of the Ottawa Senators and our owner Eugene Melnyk, let me keep it very simple: the team is not for sale, nor are we negotiating any offer. We made public our 135 million dollar financing yesterday (1) #Sens
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) June 28, 2018
(2) to signal our intent to invest in the team, the fan experience, and in our community. At no time has the Club or any of its executives interacted with Mr. Laliberte on our business, and certainly he had no involvement in our recent financing. #Sens
— Bruce Garrioch (@SunGarrioch) June 28, 2018
Melnyk is expected to comment later Thursday.
On Wednesday, the Senators' parent company, Capital Sports Holdings Inc., completed a $135-million refinancing of the club's debt over a six-year period with a syndicate of financial institutions.
