The Senators regain their first-round pick in the Evgenii Dadonov case

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
The Senators regain their first-round pick in the Evgenii Dadonov case
Credit: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

A few years ago, the NHL took away a first-round pick from the Ottawa Senators.

Why? Because the Sens tried to trade Evgenii Dadonov to the Ducks, even though he had the California team on his no-trade list.

The NHL announced the penalty (losing a first-round pick in 2024, 2025, or 2026, at the Sens' discretion), and Pierre Dorion subsequently lost his job.

In 2024, the Sens had the seventh pick, so they retained their right to speak. Carter Yakemchuk became a prospect for the Ontario team. In 2025, the club had the 23rd pick. The club, which was poised to turn the corner in its rebuilding process, chose to keep its pick. Logan Hensler was selected.

One reason behind the Sens' decision in 2025 was that the club wanted to convince the NHL to change its mind and let them keep their pick in 2026. And guess what? It happened.

The NHL has just announced that this year, instead of losing their pick, the Sens will draft 32nd overall. They cannot trade their pick and must pay a hefty $1 million fine.

In hindsight, considering that the Senators are having a worse season than expected, should the Sens have said no to their 2025 pick in order to draft around 15th this year? I don't think so.

They won their case, and good for them. A first-round pick was a high price to pay.

Remember that in the 2010s, when the Devils were punished for their “illegal contract” with Ilya Kovalchuk, they experienced the same situation: the NHL eventually caved in and gave them the last pick in the first round in the final year of their punishment.

All's well that ends well, then?


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Remember that Dadonov is playing in New Jersey this season. He hasn't scored a single point in 18 games, and the Devils recently put him on waivers.

Ouch…

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