Senators to pick 32nd overall as NHL restores 1st-round selection

The NHL has softened its punishment on the Ottawa Senators for their role in the voided 2022 trade involving forward Evgenii Dadonov, the league announced Thursday.

The Senators, who were set to be without their 2026 first-round pick entirely, will now pick 32nd overall in this year's draft, regardless of how they finish the season. They're not eligible to win the draft lottery and can't trade the pick. They're also being fined $1 million CAD.

The Vegas Golden Knights attempted to trade Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks at the 2022 deadline. The league initially allowed the move but later voided it after discovering that the Ducks were on Dadonov's 10-team no-trade list.

The Senators were punished for failing to properly inform the Golden Knights about Dadonov's no-trade list when they dealt him to Vegas in the 2021 offseason. The league forced Ottawa to forfeit its first-round pick in either 2024, 2025, or 2026. The team opted to keep the first two selections, taking Carter Yakemchuk seventh overall in 2024, and Logan Hensler 23rd overall in 2025.

If the Senators miss the 2026 playoffs, they'll receive the same lottery odds that would've normally been assigned to ensure equal odds for the other non-playoff clubs. There will be a re-draw if Ottawa wins either of the two lottery draws. The team is currently five points back of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Senators applied to the league for reconsideration of the initial punishment, in part because of the change in team ownership. Current owner Michael Andlauer bought the franchise from the estate of Eugene Melnyk in 2023.

Pierre Dorion served as the Senators' general manager from 2016-23. He was fired on Nov. 1, 2023 - the same day that the NHL punished Ottawa. Steve Staios has held the position since then.