The Ottawa Senators were the beneficiaries of surprising leniency from the NHL on Thursday. After some time of lobbying, the club got some good news from the NHL, despite it not being precisely what they hoped for.
The NHL commuted the Sens’ penalty for a botched 2022 trade. The deal itself wasn’t even the Senators’ fault. But the result cost the team a first-round pick in either 2024, 2025, or 2026. The Sens decided to kick the can as far down the road, losing their 2026 first-round.
Their requests for clemency, however, led to the NHL reinstating their 2026 first-rounder. While that’s great news for the Ottawa Senators, the pick isn’t quite what they hoped. The Sens will get their pick back but must now pick 32nd.
Picking 32nd is better than nothing.
As part of the conditions, the Senators cannot trade their pick. They must keep it and will participate in the NHL Draft Lottery, with their spot in the first round allowing other teams after them to move up one spot.
As such, if the Senators land the first-overall pick, everyone else would move up one spot. So, the team with the second pick would go first, and so on.
The NHL also decided that the Ottawa Senators would pay $1 million Canadian in lieu of the forfeiture of their pick.
Ottawa Senators Clerical Error Cost Them Big Time
The entire issue lay with a botched trade that didn’t even involve the Ottawa Senators. At the 2022 trade deadline, the Vegas Golden Knights attempted to trade Evgenii Dadonov. However, the Ducks were part of Dadonov’s no-trade list. As a result, the trade was void.
The Golden Knights alleged that they had not received Dadonov’s no-trade list from the Senators, the team he had played for before joining the Golden Knights.
The league investigated the matter and opted to throw the book at the Ottawa Senators. The punishment was the loss of a first-round pick.
The Sens attempted to buy time in hopes of getting their pick back. The rationale was that the debacle occurred under previous ownership. Consequently, the current ownership group should not have to endure the consequences of the previous administration’s mismanagement.
Former Ottawa Senators GM Pierre Dorion lost his job as a result of this matter. The current administration has tried to lobby the NHL, finally managing to get leniency from the league.
Picking Last Better than Nothing
Ultimately, picking last is better than nothing for the Ottawa Senators. The club ran the risk of losing its pick entirely. Nevertheless, this compromise allows the team to at least get something back.
As it stands, the Senators would pick in the top 16 as they are not in a playoff spot. It’s a bit of a tough pill to swallow, as Ottawa would have hoped to get a solid draft pick in what has been a frustrating season.
That won’t be the case. But at the very least, they’ll manage to recoup something out of their tough season.
It’s worth pointing out that the 32nd-overall pick in the first-round goes to the Stanley Cup champion. Unless the Senators win the Stanley Cup, the pick is much lower than they would have otherwise gotten.
Ottawa Senators Get Clemency from NHL for Botched Trade