Senators owner on possibility of new downtown arena: 'It's really a game-changer'

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk is approaching the idea of building a new arena like he would an injury to star defenseman Erik Karlsson: carefully, and from all possible angles.

While the deadline to submit an application to develop a downtown area known as Lebreton Flats is set for Jan. 7, Melnyk contends the club will do so before Christmas, provided they do indeed decide to pursue this venture.

"We haven't even decided we're going to do this," Melnyk said Monday, according to the Ottawa Sun. "There's an RFQ (request for qualification), we haven't submitted one yet ... and if we're going to do it, we want to do it right, we want to be organized, we want to make sure this has been very carefully thought through.

"This impacts the city in a huge way. It impacts the organization in a huge way. We just need to clearly understand what we're getting ourselves into, because it is a long-term project and it's really a game-changer for us."

Melnyk added the club wants to do what's right for the city, for the fans, for the organization, long term.

The team's current home arena - located about 17 miles from Ottawa's downtown core - opened in 1996, and, as such, has by no means outlived its usefulness. However, an opportunity to relocate to a more central position may not present itself again anytime soon, giving Melnyk sufficient reason to assess his options with all due diligence.