The NHL announced the Ottawa Senators will forfeit a first-round draft pick in either 2024, 2025 or 2026.

The Ottawa Senators will lose a first-round NHL draft pick for their role in a vetoed trade between the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks in March 2022.

The NHL announced Wednesday that Ottawa must forfeit its first-rounder in one of the 2024, 2025, or 2026 drafts. Ottawa is expected to determine whether it'll forfeit its pick or wait another year within 24 hours of the NHL draft lottery of that season. 

The team has yet to release a statement, but the Sens will reportedly hold a news conference at 3:15 p.m. ET.

The sanctions stem from a debacle that initially occurred two years ago. 

In July 2021, the Senators traded Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for defenseman Nick Holden and a third-round pick. As the league states in its ruling, the Senators reportedly did not inform the Golden Knights of Dadonov's 10-team no-trade clause, thereby misrepresenting the trade protection of the asset they were sending Vegas' way.

Once the 2022 NHL trade deadline rolled around, Vegas traded Dadonov and a second-round pick to the Ducks for defenseman John Moore and Ryan Kesler's contract, clearing needed cap space for the club as it launched a last-ditch playoff push. The NHL canceled that trade, however, because it violated Dadonov's clause, with Dadonov having Anaheim on his 10-team list. 

The Senators currently own all of their own first-round picks in the next three drafts, with a conditional first also in their possession from Detroit via the Alex DeBrincat trade that will either come their way in 2024 or 2025. 

Mike Stephens and Jonathan Tovell contributed to this report.