In November 2023, the NHL punished the Ottawa Senators for handling the Evgenii Dadonov trade to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021. The punishment was the Senators were forced to give up their first-round draft pick in any of the three years from 2024-2026.
In 2024, the Senators didn't forfeit their first-round draft pick and selected Carter Yakemchuk with the seventh overall pick. The Senators making the 2025 playoffs could decrease the first-round value to a degree as the Senators would pick 21st overall this year.
After deciding whether or not to forfeit the 2025 first-round draft pick, the Senators will keep the draft pick and forfeit the 2026 first-round draft pick, but there might be a big reason why that some may not know.
Sens don't have second-round draft pick in 2025, need some draft picks in first two rounds
While clinching the playoffs in 2025 may have been the call to forfeit the 2025 first-round draft pick, the Senators may have the right idea by not forfeiting this year's pick due to a trade back in March.
When the Senators acquired Fabian Zetterlund in a trade with the San Jose Sharks, one of the pieces the Senators traded away was their 2025 second-round draft pick.
Not having a draft pick in the first two rounds (64 selections) of a draft could be a huge risk for a team. Teams need to have a pick in their pocket within the first two rounds to land a player to potentially build around. For the Senators, it might be a smart move.
In 2026, the Senators currently have one second-round draft pick and three third-round draft picks. Although the picks could change due to potential trades, having picks in those rounds can be critical to find solid value when not having a first-round draft pick.
With making the playoffs in 2025, winning down the road will be part of the future in Ottawa. The Senators can be viewed by some as a team that can be in playoff conversations after ending an eight-year drought.
With Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Thomas Chabot, Linus Ullmark and more promising young talent, the window is open for the Senators to win.
Using that first-round pick in 2025 can help the Senators core of young players become even stronger instead of waiting another year to use the first-round pick. The 2025 NHL Draft is scheduled for June 27 and June 28 in Los Angeles at Peacock Theater.