Mats Sundin wants to become part owner of the Ottawa Senators: report

There was once a time when Toronto Maple Leafs fans probably never envisioned Mats Sundin spending his twilight years anywhere else but with their favourite team.

Of course, that didn’t happen, when Sundin ended up finishing his playing days with the Vancouver Canucks on a one-year contract back in the 2008-09 season.

And it seems like Sundin could add working for another Canadian team to his resume: but this time, as an owner.

Former TSN personality Brent Wallace mentioned today on the Coming in Hot podcast that Sundin has been linked to an Ottawa Senators ownership bid headed up by Toronto real estate investor Ron Kimel.

“I did hear the Kimel family… their hockey advisor is Mats Sundin,” Wallace said on today’s episode.

The future of the Senators has been a hot topic since former owner Eugene Melnyk passed away in 2022, with his family currently controlling the team’s assets but looking to sell to a new bidder.

Sundin isn’t the only high-profile name, with speculation also existing about Dwayne “The Rock” Johnston, The Weeknd, and Ryan Reynolds all among those linked to various bids.

Players getting involved in team ownership is nothing new, but usually, it’s with a team they have some history or ties with. Sundin does have a history of being one of the Senators’ greatest nemeses, beating the franchise in four postseason series as a captain of the Leafs in the early 2000s.

“So are Sens fans okay with Mats Sundin if he were to be part of the Ottawa Senators organization? But again… he and [former Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson] are very, very tight,” Wallace added, “It was Sundin that presented Alfie with his Hall of Fame plaque earlier this year.”

Alfredsson previously worked in the Senators front office from 2015 to 2018. Sundin, meanwhile, has mostly been out of the public eye since his retirement in 2009, making rare appearances at Leafs games for special events and ceremonies but primarily residing in Sweden.

In total, Sundin played 18 seasons for the Leafs, Canucks, and Quebec Nordiques. He had 564 goals, 785 assists in 1,346 games. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.

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