On Wednesday, the NHL announced it was canceling the trade that would send right winger Evgenii Dadonov from the Vegas Golden Knights to the Anaheim Ducks. The deal was canceled because it violated his limited no-trade clause.
The trade was canceled hours after it was announced because the Golden Knights said they had "become aware of an issue with respect to the trade. We have been consulting with the league office."
The league said, "The trade could not be concluded because Dadonov's contract includes a limited no-trade clause, which has not been complied with."
The proposed deal would have sent Dadonov and a conditional second-round pick for defenseman John Moore and the contract of forward Ryan Kesler for Vegas' second-rounder in 2032 or 2024.
Dadonov's no-trade clause was included in the contract he signed in October of 2020 with the Ottawa Senators, though a source said the Senators did not disclose the clause when the 33-year-old Dadonov was traded to Vegas.
The Golden Knights and the league thought the trade would be allowed.
Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek released a statement:
"We respect and accept the decision made today by the NHL with regard to our trade with Vegas on Monday. Evgenii Dadonov is a player we thought could help our team this year and beyond. We will move forward and welcome John Moore to our organization once he's healthy and ready to return."
Dadonov and his agent said Anaheim was on the 10-team no-trade list and went to the NHL Players Association, which disputed the trade.
The Golden Knights were looking to make salary cap space with the trade, which would have taken away $5 million. Vegas has struggled of late and could use the cap space to bring in other players they need.
The team could still look to trade with a team that is not on Dadonov's list.
