When it comes to paperwork and detailed record keeping, compliance with the NHL collective bargaining agreement can be more onerous than complying with the income tax rules of the IRS or CRA. Every move a team makes is part of a complicated disclosure process that allows the NHL to account for the whereabouts of each player and each dollar of cap space at all times.

Sending a player to (or recalling a player from) the AHL? You need to file a separate player transfer form for each affected player by the daily deadline or the player can’t move up or down. Putting a player on IR? You need to file an injured reserve form signed by the team management, the team doctor and the player before the roster spot can be filled with a replacement. Signing a new player to a contract? You need to file the contract and wait for it to be reviewed and approved before the player becomes eligible. There is even a form to be signed by the team’s medical director and submitted any time the player sees team medical personnel about an injury or illness, even if the player does not miss a single shift.

All of which makes the current Evgenii Dadonov situation very curious. In a league where every transaction is tightly regulated and reviewed, how did we get here?

For background, Dadonov signed a three-year contract with the Ottawa Senators on October 15, 2020 as a free agent. As part of his deal, Dadonov was granted the right to provide the team with a list designating 10 teams to which he would not accept a trade. Without knowing the specific wording of his contract, the presumption is that it required him to submit a list each season before a July 1 submission deadline. Reports have suggested he provided the Senators with that list on June 30, 2021, and that it named the Anaheim Ducks as one of the 10 teams.

On July 28, 2021, Dadonov was traded by Ottawa to the Vegas Golden Knights, a permissible trade because Vegas was not on his no-trade list. As part of the trade call to approve that transaction, the NHL would have required Ottawa to produce written proof that Vegas was not named on Dadonov’s no-trade list, or alternatively, a written consent from Dadonov agreeing to the trade. Since the trade was approved, Ottawa must have provided the list. Usual practice would have been for Ottawa to forward a copy of the list to the Knights, as it would apply going forward for the balance of the term of Dadonov’s contract.