Ottawa Senators must forfeit 1st round pick as punishment for botched trade

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston reported on Wednesday that the NHL has come to a decision on what the Senators' punishment will be for their involvement in the botched Evgenii Dadonov trade back in March of 2022. Per Johnston, the Sens must forfeit a 1st round draft pick.

For those who may not recall, the Senators had traded Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights in the summer of 2021. Less than a year later, the Golden Knights attempted to move Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks, but the trade was scrapped due to Dadonov not waiving his no-trade clause to move to Anaheim. The problem was, Vegas was not aware that Anaheim was on Dadonov's no-trade list.

This is where Ottawa comes in. Dadonov had reportedly submitted his no-trade list to the Senators, who it is believed did not include the list when they dealt Dadonov to Vegas.

As far as the Senators' 1st round pick goes, Johnston revealed that the team can decide which year the draft pick may be forfeited in. They have the option of forfeiting their 2024, 2025 or 2026 pick. The Senators will not have to make a decision until 24 hours after the draft lottery. This stipulation applies to any of the 3 years.

This has implications beyond just the loss of the pick itself. It now also complicates matters for the team when it comes to trade discussions - especially around the trade deadline. If the Senators find themselves in a bidding war with another team for a specific player, they may opt not to acquire that player if the cost involves a 1st round pick.

There's really no telling how new ownership will view this situation and whether or not Pierre Dorion's job will be safe. That seems like a pretty substantial blunder - one that the new boss could potentially use as grounds to terminate a contract and bring in a new GM of his own choosing.

***Update as of 2:41pm - Pierre Dorion no longer the GM of the Ottawa Senators, per TFP's David Pagnotta***