The NHL announced Thursday it has reduced its penalty against the Ottawa Senators stemming from the botched 2022 Evgenii Dadonov trade, replacing a first-round pick forfeiture with a last-place selection at 32nd overall and a $1 million Canadian fine directed to the NHL Foundation Canada.

The original violation occurred when Ottawa traded Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights in July 2021 without disclosing a limited no-trade clause in his contract. Vegas subsequently dealt Dadonov to Anaheim in March 2022, unaware that the Ducks appeared on his 10-team no-trade list. The NHL voided the trade and in November 2023 ruled that Ottawa must forfeit a first-round pick in either 2024, 2025 or 2026.

The Senators used their 2024 pick on Carter Yakemchuk seventh overall and their 2025 selection on Logan Hensler 23rd overall, leaving their 2026 pick as the one subject to forfeiture before the league agreed to reduce the sanction.

Ottawa appealed for leniency, pointing to significant organizational changes since the violation. GM Pierre Dorion resigned following the initial ruling and was replaced by Steve Staios. New owner Michael Andlauer had just taken over the franchise when the penalty was announced.

"After due and thorough consideration, the League has decided that a modification of the original penalty is warranted," the NHL said in a statement.

The reduction mirrors a precedent set in 2014 when the NHL similarly replaced a first-round forfeiture for the New Jersey Devils, originally penalized for signing Ilya Kovalchuk to a contract deemed to circumvent the salary cap, with a last-place selection in that year's draft.

Every team finishing behind Ottawa in the draft order will move up one spot as a result of the revised penalty.