Andlauer’s Role In Senators Regaining 2026 First-Round Draft Pick

Following news that the NHL has decreased the penalty for the Ottawa Senators in the Evgenii Dadonov trade situation, Michael Andlauer, owner of the Senators, deserves credit for the lobbying and discussions that took place with the NHL. The trade in question took place before the team was sold to Andlauer, and the situation was not disclosed to him until after the sale was finalized.

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Andlauer felt he had been cheated by the NHL, having the team sold to him at a higher price. By that point, the Senators had already moved on from the general manager in charge of the incident, Pierre Dorion. It is now an entirely different management group in charge of the Senators, led by general manager Steve Staios.

The Senators had been penalized by losing either their 2024, 2025, or 2026 first-round draft pick for their role in this situation. In 2024 and 2025, the Senators chose not to forfeit those picks, selecting Carter Yakemchuk and Logan Hensler. This meant that the Senators were going to forfeit their 2026 first-round pick.

The Senators have now regained the 2026 first-round draft pick, albeit at the end of the first round.

What This Means For The Senators

The Senators do not currently have many top-tier prospects, and it looked like their first selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft would not come until the third round. The Senators’ top prospects, Yakemchuk and Hensler, are both right-handed defencemen. It would make sense for Ottawa to look at drafting a forward with this selection.

A 32nd overall pick may not give the Senators a player who will be NHL-ready anytime soon. By this point in the draft, there will still be talented prospects available, and no one really knows which players will reach the NHL. The draft pick cannot be traded, so the Senators will be unable to move it immediately for an NHL-level player. It will give them more flexibility with prospects or players they may choose to part ways with and their plans for the future.

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