NHL Modifies Penalty to Restore Ottawa's First-Round Pick
The National Hockey League has modified its punishment regarding a botched trade involving Evgenii Dadonov, restoring Ottawa's first-round pick to be used at number 32 overall for this year. This decision follows the league taking possession of that selection earlier due to negligence in handling assets during July 2021 when Vegas attempted to move him from Anaheim; however, officials determined that changing ownership did not warrant a forfeiture penalty and instead opted to return only one specific asset rather than all three picks involved (the years were originally set for the draft).
Key Points
-
1The National Hockey League has decided to modify its punishment regarding a botched trade involving Evgenii Dadonov between Vegas and Anaheim.
-
2The Ottawa Senators will have their 32nd overall first-round pick in the upcoming draft restored after it was previously taken from them due to league negligence on this matter. The decision acknowledges that ownership changes affected how penalties were applied, sparing teams like Edmonton similar treatment.
Developments
Perspectives
The NHL has modified its punishment for a botched trade involving Evgenii Dadonov between Vegas and Anaheim.
— NHLOttawa Senators' first-round pick in this year's draft restored after league negligence on the 2021/22 E
— NoneThe NHL has ruled against punishing Ottawa Senators for a canceled trade involving Evgeni Dadonov from two years ago because their management and ownership have since changed, allowing them to retain this season's first-round pick instead of forfeiting it. This decision contrasts with the earlier case where New Jersey Devils were forced into 30th overall selection due to an old contract violation but eventually received compensation for losing that specific draft position later on.
The NHL decided not to have the Senators forfeit future draft picks due to their role in a nullified trade involving Evgenii Dadonov and will instead award them with one final pick plus impose an $8 million fine on Michael Andlauer's ownership. The team must also pay 10% of that penalty ($735,629) into the NHL Foundation Canada if they miss playoffs but win a top-two lottery spot in those years (the text mentions "roughly" this amount).
The NHL has modified its punishment for Ottawa's role in a botched Evgenii Dadonov trade by replacing the forfeiture of their 2026 first-round pick with an automatic selection at No. 32, which they cannot sell or use to win any draft lottery if they miss the playoffs; additionally, Senators must pay a $1 million CAD fine directed toward NHL Foundation Canada for not providing Vegas's no-trade list when Dadonov was traded in July 2021 before being purchased by Michael Andlauer.