The sale of the Ottawa Senators has been one of the biggest and most important stories in the NHL world since the offseason. In typical NHL fashion, the sale has gone terribly as the league reportedly did not disclose that the team may lose valuable draft picks as a result of mistakes the previous ownership group made.
NHL insider Frank Serravalli reported today on X that David Andlauer, the new owner of the Ottawa Senators, was not made aware of the Shane Pinto and Evgeni Dadonov investigations that the Senators were subject to before the sale was finalized.
Losing a 1st round pick and half a season of games from a promising young player is a major loss for the new owner. The Senators are still a team on the cusp of making the playoffs. One player that could help them get there would be Shane Pinto. How many extra wins could the team get with him in the lineup for half a season? Two? Three? Four? As playoff races often come down to the wire, that could be a difference maker. Similarly, losing a 1st round pick could have massive implications on the future success of the team, particularly if the Sens find themselves back in the draft lottery.
