NHL eastern conference team forfeits first round pick for making illegal trade

The Ottawa Senators traded winger Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021. While the trade itself went through, there were no issues to be found with the trade at the time.

A year later in 2022, the Golden Knights would attempt to move Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks in a botched trade. The trade failed as the Anaheim Ducks did their due-dilgence and noted that the Knights failed to ask Dadonov for his 10-team no-trade list.

With the Golden Knights being unaware of the details behind his no-trade list, the NHL and Gary Bettman would come down hard on Ottawa, now under new ownership, Michael Andlauer will eat the cost of the failures of the old.

Now, Bettman and the league are taking away the team's 2026 1st-round draft pick, while allowing them to keep their 2025 1st-rounder.

The NHL has the discretion to change the punishment, but seeing as Gary Bettman issued the discipline, we shouldn't expect it to happen.

While it does seem unfair with Michael Andlauer's regime taking over in Ottawa, the team still has to pay for their past infractions since the Melnyks never did.

The Senators will be able to pick 21st overall in 2025 and will have to forfeit their 2026 1st-round pick. A cautionary tale to GMs everywhere: do your homework and don't do wrong by your trade partners.

Andlauer's Senators were eliminated from the 1st-round of the NHL playoffs.