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The National Hockey League has granted the Ottawa Senators a minor concession regarding a sanction previously levied against them for not disclosing a player’s no-trade provision to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021.
Initially, Ottawa faced the requirement to surrender its first-round selection in the upcoming entry draft, having previously declined the opportunity to do so in either 2024 or 2025, preferring instead to select defencemen Carter Yakemchuk and Logan Hensler.
Sanctions were imposed on the Senators following Vegas’s trade of Evgenii Dadonov to Anaheim, a transaction that Dadonov subsequently thwarted by invoking his no-trade provision.
This past Thursday, the NHL declared that the Senators would instead receive the 32nd overall selection, marking the conclusion of the first round, and would also incur a financial penalty of $1 million.
According to the NHL, Ottawa requested a re-evaluation of the penalty, citing the team’s new ownership under Michael Andlauer and a new general manager, Steve Staios.
Pierre Dorion, who served as general manager during 2021, stepped down from his position on the very day the sanction was made public.
“Following careful and comprehensive review, the League has determined that an adjustment to the initial sanction is justified,” stated the NHL.
“We completely agree with the revised penalties the league has put in place today,” commented Senators owner Michael Andlauer in an official announcement. “We appreciate the league and commissioner considering the matter openly and altering the punishment.”
The 32nd overall draft selection belonging to Ottawa is non-tradable. Should the Senators fail to qualify for the playoffs, they will nonetheless participate in the league’s lottery for determining draft order, but if their pick is chosen, the drawing procedure will recommence.
The league indicated that the $1 million monetary penalty would be directed to the charitable organization, NHL Foundation Canada.
