Pros, cons and head-scratchers: The possible new NHL arena locations in Ottawa

An old city works yard, the woefully under-used baseball stadium, even the Department of National Defence tower on Colonel By Drive could soon be home to the Ottawa Senators.

Despite the fact the Ottawa Senators inked a preliminary deal with the National Capital Commission (NCC) last summer to build a new arena on a portion of land on the western end of LeBreton Flats, there are a number of alternate rink sites being floated in public.

Some suggestions have been around for years, stemming from the last time the Senators looked at relocating to the centre of the city from Kanata. Others have been suggested by journalists reporting on the behind-the-scenes bids to buy the local franchise. Some have been suggested recently by the mayor of Ottawa himself.

All locations, even LeBreton, have their pros and cons. And some suggestions elicit raised eyebrows and head scratching.

As a starting point, consider the arena and lands at the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata is 32 hectares, or 80 acres, including the vast parking lots. That's bigger than all of LeBreton Flats, which is about 29 hectares. New owners could decide to stay there indefinitely or while they negotiate some sort of land deal. 

It's also key to know the footprints of exiting arenas. Winnipeg's Canada Life Centre, one of the league's most compact arenas, takes up just 1.27 hectares, or about three acres. Montreal's Bell Centre — with one of the league's largest seat capacity— takes up 1.6 hectares, or a little under 4 acres, of downtown land.

Here's the lowdown on the most-mentioned possible alternate arena sites. (Land areas and other information taken from the city's GeoOttawa site, unless otherwise noted.)

Location: Albert Street, between Preston Street and City