Ottawa Senators will not forfeit No. 7 overall pick in 2024 NHL Draft

Last November, the National Hockey League ruled that the Senators must forfeit their own first-round pick in either the 2024, 2025, or 2026 draft as punishment for their role in the invalidated deal between the Golden Knights and Ducks ahead of the 2022 trade deadline.

The league ruled that the Senators had not been forthright with the Golden Knights about the trade protection in Dadonov’s deal when they traded the veteran winger to Vegas in 2021. When the Golden Knights subsequently attempted to flip Dadonov to Anaheim, they did so without knowing that the Ducks were on his ‘no-trade’ list.

The Senators relieved Pierre Dorion of his duties as their general manager the same day the league doled out its punishment, with owner Michael Andlauer describing the controversy as the ‘last straw’ for Dorion in Ottawa.

After initially being named Dorion’s replacement on an interim basis, Staios took over as the club’s full-time GM — in addition to his duties as president of hockey operations — on December 31, 2023.

The Senators have not made a first-round selection since 2021, when they took Tyler Boucher with the No. 10 pick. Boucher has struggled to remain healthy in the three seasons since he was drafted and managed just five points in 21 AHL games this past season.

After trading the No. 7 overall pick in 2022 as part of a deal for Alex DeBrincat (who lasted just one season in Ottawa), the Senators flipped the No. 12 pick in 2023 and two second-round picks for Jakob Chychrun (who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent in 2025).

The Senators currently possess eight selections in the 2024 NHL Draft. In addition their own first-round pick, they own Boston’s first, their own second-rounder, four fourth-rounders (Tampa Bay’s, Detroit’s, Florida’s, and their own), and their own fifth-rounder.