One of the doctors overseeing Eugene Melnyk's search for a new liver says he is "optimistic" that a suitable match will be found and a transplant could be performed in the coming week.

A public appeal by the Ottawa Senators’ owner has led more than 500 potential donor applications.

"We’ve been very impressed by the response we've received … so, I am optimistic that we will be able to find a suitable match and hopefully can do the transplant over the next week sometime," Dr. Atul Humar, director of the University Health Network Multi-organ Transplant Program at Toronto General Hospital, told CTV News Channel.

In statement released by the team on Saturday, the Senators revealed that more than 12 candidates have been identified and selected to go through the donor screening process at Toronto General Hospital.

Melnyk, 55, has been suffering complications from an undisclosed liver condition since mid-January. He was admitted to hospital three weeks ago and is now in urgent need of a transplant. His condition is considered life-threatening.

"We do have a very serious, critical condition, where without a live-donor transplant one will decease with this condition," Dr. Don Chow,the Senators' team physician, told CTV Ottawa.

The usually private Melnyk had opted not share the news of his condition, but his absence during the Senators’ playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens was noted by fans and the hockey community. On Thursday, Melnyk reached out to the public after his family members were found not to be suitable donors.

A living donor is Melnyk's best shot because his rare AB blood allows him to receive a transplant from any blood type. While an organ from a deceased donor must be a perfect match.

Potential donors will have to undergo extensive physical and psychological testing before being approved.

"There's a number of factors that we have to look at … but we have to look at the size of the donor, the anatomy and a number of other factors that makes a match somewhat difficult to find but certainly doable," said Humar.

All patients are placed on the lists for both deceased and living donors.

However, Humar stressed the importance of finding a living donor because there is a shortage across Canada for deceased donors, and that many patients die waiting.

Once a donor has been cleared, a transplant is usually arranged within one to two weeks.

Questioned about the ethics of Melnyk's public appeal for a donor, Humar said that he had no concerns and that that patients typically reach out to community once they've exhausted other avenues.

"In this case, Melnyk is reaching out to his community, which is his fan base," Humar said.

He added that the attention generated by Melnyk's condition has two other benefits: It raises awareness for organ donation and it "frees up a spot" on the deceased donor list, essentially saving "two lives."

Dr. Gary Levy, director of the living donor liver transplant program at Toronto's University Health Network, told The Canadian Press on Friday that they hoped to find a match for Melnyk within 72 to 96 hours.

Donors who undergo the procedure face four to five hours of surgery and five to seven days of recovery in hospital.

The surgery removes 70 to 75 per cent of a person's liver for the transplant, which will regenerate in eight to 10 weeks.

Humar said that complications for donors following the procedure are "rare."

The five-year survival rate for recipients following a liver transplant from a living donor is between 80 and 85 per cent.

People who are interested in becoming donors are encouraged to complete an assessment form, which is available on the Senators' website, and fax it to the University Health Network at 416-340-4317.

With files from The Canadian Press and CTV Ottawa