Dorion out as GM of the Ottawa Senators

Pierre Dorion is out as general manager of the Ottawa Senators.

New owner Michael Andlauer announced Dorion has resigned and been relieved of his duties after eight years as general manager of the franchise.  

News of Dorion's dismissal comes after the National Hockey League announced the Sens would forfeit a first-round draft pick as fallout from the 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov and one week after forward Shane Pinto was suspended 41 games for violating the NHL's sports wagering rules.

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"My first 30 days as owner of the Ottawa Senators has exceeded my expectation from all aspects," Andlauer said Thursday afternoon at Canadian Tire Centre. "Unfortunately, the last 10 days have not been as much fun for me; kind of brought me back to earth. Three game losing streaks, three injuries to three right d-men and two disturbing phone calls from the NHL, which has resulted in a young prospect being suspended for 41 games and today, the announcement of the loss of a first-round draft pick."

New Senators President Steve Staios will take over as interim general manager.

Dorion was the Senators' eighth general manager in franchise history and served eight years in the position. Dorion was hired in 2016 as GM, after serving as a scout, chief amateur scout, director of player personnel and assistant general manager. The Senators advanced to the eastern conference final against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017, the final season the Senators made the playoffs under Dorion.

On Wednesday, the National Hockey League announced the Sens would forfeit a first-round draft pick as punishment stemming from their role in a voided deal by the Las Vegas Golden Knights that would have sent Evgenii Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks in March 2022.

"The 73-page report that was shared with me last week stems from actions originated by our hockey club, unfortunately. That we were negligent in nature and our duty of care was ignored which set off events that embarrassed the league and pissed off two other NHL clubs," Andlauer said. "We have to be held accountable for our actions. While this was done before my watch, I must respect the league's decision."

The NHL said the team will lose the pick as a result of Dorion giving the Golden Knights wrong information about the existence of Dadonov's 10-team 'no-move' clause. The Senators traded Dadonov to Vegas in July 2021 for defenceman Nick Holden and a third round pick. The Knights did not know of Dadonov's clause, which caused problems during the 2022 trade deadline.

The Golden Knights had traded Dadonov to the Ducks in exchange for two defencemen. The league, however, cancelled the deal because the Ducks were one of the teams on Dadonov's no-trade list.

In a statement on X, the Golden Knights said: "we appreciate the league's diligence on this matter and respect the decision. The club will have no further comment."

Dadonov, who currently plays with the Dallas Stars, first joined the Senators as a free agent in 2020.

Andlauer was asked whether the penalty to the Senators was the "last straw" for Dorion.

"We can argue about how harsh this penalty was, but ultimately this could have been avoided and the accountability is at our hockey club and Pierre was ultimately responsible for the hockey operations of this club," Andlauer said.

Andlauer says he had dinner with Dorion Tuesday night and it was decided the two sides would part ways.

Andlauer expressed frustration with the delayed punishment.

"Why I inherited this is beyond me, there's no reason for it to last that long," he said, noting a two-day hearing was held a year ago.