The Canadiens could move up one spot in the draft
A decision by the Ottawa Senators could potentially allow the Montreal Canadiens to move up one spot for their second first-round pick, the one acquired from the Winnipeg Jets. Following the draft lottery, the Senators must now decide what they will do.
First-round pick withdrawn from the Ottawa Senators; all subsequent teams could move up one selection spot
The infamous deal between the Ottawa Senators and the Vegas Golden Knights for the services of Russian Evgeny Dadonov in 2021 fell through, as the team had not disclosed the no-trade clause to Vegas. The previously announced transaction had to be canceled.
For this reason, the NHL ruled that the Senators would lose their first-round pick in one of the three drafts identified by Gary Bettman. It can be said that this was a particularly embarrassing situation for the NHL.
We now know that the Senators will pick seventh in the amateur draft in 2024. It would be highly surprising if the team decided to let go of their first-round pick in 2024, knowing that the picks in 2025 and 2026 could be further down than the seventh spot. At the same time, imagine a catastrophic situation with the first overall pick in 2026 having to be sacrificed. Losing a player of Gavin McKenna's caliber to protect a seventh pick this year!
For now, everything indicates that they will keep their 2024 pick, but we still have no official confirmation from the new management.
