Evgenii Dadonov Likely To Miss Extended Time

Panthers winger Evgenii Dadonov missed practice today and has undergone an MRI on his shoulder, notes Matthew DeFranks of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  Head coach Bob Boughner isn’t particularly optimistic about the situation, telling DeFranks that the injury is something that will keep him out “longer than shorter” and that he’s hopeful that he will only miss weeks rather than months.  The team has not yet received the results of the MRI.

Dadonov is in his first season in the NHL since 2011-12 and has made an immediate impact with the Panthers.  He took Jaromir Jagr’s spot on Florida’s top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau.  As a result, he has already set a new career high in points with 18 (7-11-18) in 22 games while logging nearly 20 minutes per game of ice time.  Those 18 points place him fourth in team scoring.

The injury will be a big blow to a team that already find themselves seventh in the Atlantic Division and 15th in the Eastern Conference.  In the meantime, Colton Sceviour will slide onto their top line although Radim Vrbata could find himself in that spot when he’s activated off injured reserve.  The team is hopeful he’ll be available sometime this week.