Ryan Reynolds’ bid for Ottawa Senators not moving forward at this time

It appears Ryan Reynolds will not be part of the next ownership group of the Ottawa Senators.

Sportsnet can confirm that Reynolds and his Remington Group bid will not be moving forward at this time. The deadline for interested parties to submit final bids for the franchise is May 15.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan was first to report that the Remmington Group bid would not be moving forward.

Kaplan reported, citing sources, that a request by Reynolds for an exclusive window to complete a deal for the Senators was denied.

The team is being sold by the estate of Eugene Melnyk after the team’s longtime owner passed away early last year.

Reynolds, who was born in Vancouver, expressed interest in buying the team during an appearance on The Tonight Show last November. The Remington Group bid was being headed up by developer Chris Bratty.

“I am trying to (buy the Senators), it’s very expensive, so I need a partner with really deep pockets,” Reynolds said on The Tonight Show. “It’s called a consortium, when you form a group to buy an entity, and it’s such a fancy way of saying, ‘I need a sugar mommy or a sugar daddy,’ and if that doesn’t happen, I’ll buy a U.S. senator, which everyone can afford.”

Postmedia reported that the Remington bid — which includes both the team and the Canadian Tire Centre arena — was valued at more than $1 billion.

Other bids — some featuring celebrities — remain in the mix for the team. Snoop Dogg announced last week that he had joined the bid being put together by Los Angeles-based businessman Neko Sparks while Canadian pop star The Weeknd has reportedly joined a bid being led by Toronto billionaires Jeffrey and Michael Kimel, according to Postmedia.

“It can be a plus for the franchise going forward,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a recent interview about celebrity bids for the Senators. “But the bids are going to have to stand on their own merit.”