Michael Andlauer held a brief state of the union address with the local media as the Senators played an intrasquad game in Gatineau on Saturday.

The NHL's Ottawa Senators have an agreement to build a new arena downtown in Canada's capital. The team and the National Capital Commission announced it at a news conference Friday to beat the deadline to make a deal.

Michael Andlauer's first year as Ottawa Senators owner has been full of challenges. But a step forward in the plans for a downtown arena is a long-awaited positive sign.

The Ottawa Senators and the National Capital Commission (NCC) have reached an agreement in principle regarding the sale of a 10-acre parcel of land in Ottawa on Friday, the next step toward building a new downtown arena for the team in the LeBreton Flats district.

The Senators and the National Capital Commission announced an agreement that would see the team purchase a 10-acre plot at the downtown LeBreton Flats site for the development of a multipurpose facility,

The Senators and the NCC had until Friday's deadline to reach a deal before their memorandum of understanding expired.

The Senators still have a long way to go but this is their biggest step yet toward getting a new downtown arena built.

On Saturday, the National Hockey League’s pre-season begins. With that being said, there have been more re-signings in recent times, while a 2024 Stanley Cup champion is hanging up the skates.