NHL Notebook: Senators general manager Pierre Dorion fired following invalidated trade and Capitals Nicklas Backstrom to step away from hockey

The Ottawa Senators have agreed to part ways with general manager Pierre Dadonov after the reprecussions of a mismanaged trade resulted in the stripping of the Senators future first-round pick at one of the next three NHL Drafts.

The fiasco started back in March of 2022 on trade deadline day. The Las Vegas Golden Knights organization were in the middle of tying up loose ends on a trade solely purposed around the salary cap. The trade would send forward Evgenii Dadonov alongside a conditional second-round pick in 2023 to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for the contracts of John Moore and injured forward Ryan Kessler.

The problem arose when Dadonov’s agent mentioned that Anaheim was on the forwards negotiated 10-team “no-trade” list. The Golden Knights held no record or awareness of the list, and were left with a messy cap situation and a somewhat humiliating mistake.

It was later discovered and confirmed by the NHL that the Senators—when they originally traded Dadonov to the Golden Knights in 2021 for Nick Holden and a third-round draft pick in 2022—never supplied the Vegas organization with any evidence of a “no-trade” list, despite representatives asking for awareness of any such list and Dadonov’s agent sending the list to the Senators previously.

After a lengthy 590 days Ottawa has finally received retribution, forcing the team to give up their first round pick in the NHL Draft in either 2024, 2025, or 2026, the decision on which year they choose to do so is up to the organization with the terms being that it must be made within 24 hours of the culmination of the Draft Lottery.

Dorion, who has served as the Senators general manager since 2016, received his own punishment  form of being dismissed entirely from the organization after the news was released.

Through out his time with the club he rebuilt the Senators roster from almost every position and played a significant role in drafting key players, but the teams performance has yet to live up to expectations.

In Dorion’s absence, former Edmonton Oilers front office advisor and newly appointed president of hockey operations with the Senators, Steve Staios will take over the role as interim general manager.

Staois, the former Oilers defenceman, has played in over 1000 NHL games throughout six different NHL teams including the Oilers, Calgary Flames, Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, scoring 56 goals and 220 points  before moving into a role off the ice.

The ruling comes just days after forward Shane Pinto was suspended for 41 games following “activities related to sports wagering.”

After an on-going injury situation Washington Capitals forward Nicklas Backstrom has made the decision to step away from the game to focus on his health.

The Capitals released a statement to their social media pages from Backstrom on Wednesday announcing the decision, emphasizing that it has not been an easy choice to make.

“Given my ongoing surgery situation, I decided to take some time and step away from the game. This is a difficult decision, but one I feel is right for my health at this time. I want to thank my teammates, the organization, and fans for their unwavering support throughout this process. I ask for privacy at this time as I determine my next steps and viable options moving forward.”

Backstrom was limited to just 86 games throughout the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaign combined after battling numerous hip injuries. In June of 2022 the forward underwent a procedure in Belgium and now has a metal shell in his left hip. He resurfaced to the Capitals lineup in January of 2023 to contribute in the final 39 games of the season scoring seven goals and 21 points, but this season has been showing less promise. Despite saying he felt 100 percent during the Capitals training camp back in September, his performance has been suggesting otherwise after scoring only a single assist throughout the clubs first eight games.

To follow Backstrom’s statement the Capitals also released a statement of their own.

“We stand behind Nicklas and will support him through this process. We know first-hand how hard he has worked and how determined he is to get back to full health. Our organization stands fully behind him while he takes his leave of absence from the team and takes time to evaluate his current health situation.”

The 35 year-old has been around the league for 17 years and has spent the entirety of his time with the Capitals after they drafted him as the fourth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. He’s worn the staple red, blue, and white jersey over 1105 games with 271 goals, 1033 points, and one Stanley Cup in 2018. The club has placed the forward on the long-term injured reserve as of Wednesday.