The Dallas Stars are bringing back a good piece of forward depth, re-signing Evgenii Dadonov to a two-year contract extension through the 2024-25 season. The deal, worth $4.5MM, carries an average annual value and cap hit of $2.25MM.
Dadonov, 34, played a crucial depth scoring role for the Stars after a late-season trade from the Montreal Canadiens. He notched 15 points in 23 regular-season games and 10 points in 16 playoff games after a rough go of things with the Habs, finishing his tenure there with just 18 points (and just four goals) in 50 games.
Stars general manager Jim Nill expressed his satisfaction with an extension getting done:
Re-signing Evgenii was high on our priority list. He was a key player for us down the stretch, and he elevated his game on the big stage during the playoffs. We’re happy to get a deal done that works for both sides.
It was, unfortunately, a tough end to the season for Dadonov, who missed the final three games of Dallas’ Western Conference Final loss due to a lower-body injury sustained early in Game 3. He’ll get a chance for two more deep playoff runs with the Stars and head coach Pete DeBoer.
Dadonov’s NHL journey spans nine seasons, during which he has accumulated 131 goals and 167 assists for 298 points in 486 regular-season games. He has suited up for five teams, including the Stars, Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers. He’ll hit the 500-game milestone this season, a remarkable feat for a player who also suited up for six seasons and over 300 games in the KHL.
With Dadonov under contract, Dallas’ forward corps for next season already appears close to set. The team still has $5.1MM in projected cap space, per CapFriendly, but they need a new contract for pending RFA Ty Dellandrea. They’ll also need to replace or re-sign Max Domi, Luke Glendening, and Joel Kiviranta, although youngsters Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque could provide cost-effective solutions in those depth roles.
Didn’t expect that to happen. Decent deal for both sides.
@Gbear – Count this as two surprises. I seem to remember the Dallas guys thinking he was gone after the end of the season. And, it’s not a terrible cap hit, too.
@Mac – Every once in awhile a team and a player make a sensible deal for both sides. It’s rare these days, so we give stick taps when it happens. :)
Well that’s 1 of 50 that the PHR staff got wrong, and free agency hasn’t even opened yet. They had him going to Washington. So what’s the over/under on how many they’ll get right?
Love this deal. Didn’t think the front office would pull that one off.
Looks like Domi is headed back to the Hawks now for sure.
Pretty cheap signing, and the term doesn’t suck if Dadonov is indeed in decline. Nill got the job done.
Nill likes the old guys, This team has to get younger and better.