Sutcliffe to meet NHL commissioner Gary Bettman next week

Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe is scheduled to meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on Monday as the sale of the Ottawa Senators remains a hot topic in the capital and around the league.

Sutcliffe told reporters Wednesday that new ownership of the hockey franchise and a downtown arena — either at LeBreton Flats or some other location — presents an exciting opportunity for the national capital.

"I'm grateful for the fact that the commissioner has signalled over and over again through this process that the Senators are staying in Ottawa," said Sutcliffe. "I think that's shown commitment on his part, for which I'm grateful."

The mayor also left open the possibility of investing public money into a new arena.

"I'm not a fan of putting city money into an arena, but it depends on so many factors," he said.

"It's very early to be talking about what could happen in the future in terms of an arena."

Sutcliffe said he can't provide any definitive answers because there are still some important unanswered questions — Who will own the team? Will they want to build an arena, and if so, where? 

The Senators have been officially on the market since November, months after the death of owner Eugene Melnyk.

Bettman has said publicly that numerous groups put in official, if preliminary, bids for the team earlier this month. One of the groups includes actor Ryan Reynolds, who received a standing ovation when he attended a Sens game late last year.