The Ottawa Senators will pick 32nd overall in the 2026 NHL draft after the league modified a penalty for the team's role in an invalidated trade involving Evgenii Dadonov in 2022.
The NHL amended its penalty imposed on the Ottawa Senators for its role in connection to a cancelled trade.
Ottawa previously had to forfeit a first-round pick in one of the 2024, 2025 or 2026 NHL drafts. They failed to disclose Evgenii Dadonov's no-trade clause when trading him to the Vegas Golden Knights in July 2021, which led to an invalidated March 2022 trade between Vegas and the Anaheim Ducks.
Now, the Senators will instead pick 32nd overall in the first round in 2026. They are not allowed to trade that pick.
The Senators will also now pay a fine of $1 million Cdn. The fine will be directed to NHL Foundation Canada, a league-sponsored charitable organization focused on promoting access to hockey and fostering positive experiences on and off the ice.
Since the failure to disclose Dadonov's no-trade clause happened, the team changed ownership and is now primarily owned by Michael Andlauer. When the original penalty was announced on Nov. 1, 2023, the Senators fired Pierre Dorion, who was GM when trading Dadonov to the Golden Knights, and replaced him with Steve Staios.
The Senators applied to the NHL for reconsideration and relief from the original penalty.
The Senators lobbied the NHL for a while on the forfeited first-rounder, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
"We fully accept the modified sanctions the league has imposed today," Andlauer said in a statement. "We are grateful for the league and commissioner keeping an open mind on this issue and modifying the penalty. The Senators organization is appreciative the fine money will be directed to the NHL Foundation Canada, to help grow the sport in our country. We consider this matter closed and will have no further comments on the situation."
Modified Penalty Affects NHL Draft Order, Lottery
Any team that would have otherwise been slotted behind the Senators in the draft order will be moved one pick better in the first round. (If the Senators win the Stanley Cup, they would have picked 32nd overall anyway, and no other team would be moving one pick better in the first round.)
If the Senators miss the playoffs, they will still be allocated the same lottery odds that would normally be assigned to them based on where they finish in the league standings. That means there will be number combinations that belong to the Senators in the lottery.
However, the Senators cannot win either of the league's two lottery draws. They are only able to pick 32nd overall.
If a number combination assigned to the Senators is selected in either of the two lottery draws, there will be a re-draw.
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