Due to a violation of Evgenii Dadonov's no-trade clause, the NHL stepped in and cancelled the trade.
Before the NHL trade deadline on Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights attempted to trade Evgenii Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks. In exchange, Vegas attempted to receive defenseman John Moore.
It would seem that Vegas did this in an attempt to clear $3.375m in salary cap space. Unfortunately for Vegas, they were met with an issue regarding Dadonov's no-trade clause, something they weren't told about when they originally signed Dadonov.
The team stated that they had "become aware of an issue with respect to the trade. We have been consulting with the league office." In his contract with the Ottowa Senators, Dadonov had a no-trade clause in the contract, however, Ottowa failed to disclose that to Vegas.
Originally, both Vegas and the NHL believed Dadonov could be traded because neither party knew of the clause. Once it was revealed, the Golden Knights and the NHL learned that the Anaheim Ducks were on Dadonov's 10-team no-trade list.
On Wednesday, the NHL stated that "the trade could not be concluded because Dadonov's contract includes a limited no-trade clause, which has not been complied with."
Shortly after, Anaheim General Manager Pat Verbeek issued a statement through the team: "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."
The team that was dealt the most significant blow is the Vegas Golden Knights who were attempting to clear cap space. They attempted to move Dadonov in an effort to bring back Mark Stone and Alec Martinez from the injured reserve.
Teams can still trade players after the deadline, however, that player would be ineligible for the rest of the season.
Dadonov has 27 points in 62 games this season for the Knights, who acquired him in July 2021 for a 2022 third-round pick and defenseman Nick Holden.
