The Ottawa Senators will forfeit a first-round draft pick for their role in the July 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov to the Golden Knights and the subsequently invalidated March 2022 deal that would have sent Dadonov from Las Vegas to the Ducks.

Ottawa will forfeit its first-round draft pick in one of the 2024, 2025 or 2026 NHL drafts. The Senators will make that determination within 24 hours of the conclusion of the draft lottery that season.

Forward Connor Bedard, the projected top pick in the upcoming NHL draft, was named the inaugural winner of the IIHF Male Player of the Year Award Monday.

"This is such a huge honour," Bedard said, per the International Ice Hockey Federation. "I'm not sure how to compare it to others I've received, but it's pretty incredible to receive this award with all the unbelievable players that have competed in the IIHF this season and the amazing players that were nominated for this award."

Connor Bedard still isn't ready to admit what the rest of the hockey world has long assumed: that he'll be selected No. 1 overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in this month's NHL draft.

"If they decide to take me, that would be unbelievable," the 17-year-old forward told reporters Monday ahead of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final. "But we'll see what happens."

The Chicago Blackhawks won the NHL draft lottery on Monday night, earning the right to draft phenom Connor Bedard.

The Blackhawks last selected first overall in 2007 when they selected winger Patrick Kane. Chicago had the third-best odds to win the first overall pick at 11.5%.

The Montreal Canadiens secured the first overall pick in the NHL draft lottery on Tuesday, becoming the first team since 1985 to host the draft and own the top pick.

It marks the first time in 42 years that the Canadiens, who made the Stanley Cup Final last season, will select first overall, having last selected forward Doug Wickenheiser with the top pick in 1980.

The National Hockey League announced today that the Montreal Canadiens will host the 2022 NHL Draft™ at Bell Centre. The 2022 event will mark the 27th time the City of Montreal will host the NHL Draft, and the first time since 2009. The city was scheduled to host the 2020 NHL Draft, which was moved to a virtual event for health and safety precautions due to COVID-19.

The Buffalo Sabres won the 2021 NHL draft lottery on Wednesday, with the expansion Seattle Kraken getting the second overall pick.

The Sabres, who finished with an NHL-worst 15-34-7 record, had the best lottery odds at 16.6%. It is the first time the team with the best lottery odds won the first overall pick since 2018, when the Sabres retained the top spot to select defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.

"It's a great moment for our franchise. It's obviously been a tough year, for a number of different reasons," Buffalo general manager Kevyn Adams said during the broadcast of the event on NBCSN. "It's a step in the right direction. We need to get better in every area in every way."

The Carolina Hurricanes parted ways with defenseman Joel Edmundson after one season, trading his free-agent rights to the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday for a fifth-round pick.

The NHL on Friday moved its draft up to Oct. 6-7 and set an Oct. 9 start for free agency.

The first round of the draft will be Oct. 6, with the New York Rangers on the clock and Alexis Lafreniere the consensus top option for the No. 1 pick. The remaining rounds will take place Oct. 7, and all the drafting will be done virtually.

Free agency begins at noon Eastern two days later. And after the league and NHL Players' Association agreed to a collective bargaining agreement extension, there won't be an interview period in the days leading to the start of the free-agent frenzy.

The New Jersey Devils won the 2019 NHL draft lottery after entering Tuesday night's event in Toronto with the third-best odds.

It's the second lottery win in three years for the Devils. They won it in 2017 and selected center Nico Hischier.

"I said the No. 1 thing we needed was [more] talent, and this is a huge part of getting more talent. It's a huge day for the Devils," GM Ray Shero said after the draw.