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Evgenii Dadonov

Metropolitan Notes: Dadonov, Gudbranson, Slavin, Flyers

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Earlier today, the Devils placed winger Evgenii Dadonov on injured reserve with his fractured hand.  While a full timeline for recovery remains unknown, New Jersey clearly knows he’ll be out a while as PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the winger has been moved to LTIR.  In doing so, they’re certifying that he will miss at least 10 games and 24 days because of the injury.  With the placement, the Devils have added $1MM in room to their LTIR pool, giving themselves a bit more recall flexibility.  The 36-year-old also has $2.25MM in potential performance bonuses but those aren’t eligible to be added to an LTIR pool.  He’ll need to play in at least 50 games during the regular season to max out on the regular season games played portion of those incentives.

More from the Metropolitan Division:

  • Blue Jackets defenseman Erik Gudbranson exited Saturday’s victory over Minnesota early due to an upper-body injury, notes Brian Hedger of the Columbus Dispatch. The injury occurred on a hit from Marcus Foligno late in the second period but while he came out briefly for the third period, he quickly returned to the dressing room.  Gudbranson was limited to just 16 games last season due to a shoulder injury and an early absence this year certainly isn’t ideal, especially with this being the final year of his contract.  Aaron Portzline of The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that the team won’t be providing any updates on Gudbranson’s status today.
  • Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin left Saturday’s game against Philadelphia in the third period with what looks to be a knee injury, relays Cory Lavalette of the North State Journal. It’s expected that the team will know more on his status on Monday.  Slavin has been a critical piece of Carolina’s back end for several years now and was off to a solid start before the injury.  If he’s unable to play in their next game on Tuesday against San Jose, veteran Mike Reilly would likely make his Carolina debut.
  • While most teams know who their starting goalie is by now, the Flyers appear to be one of the exceptions. Samuel Ersson entered the season as the incumbent after being the starter for the last couple of years but they also added Daniel Vladar in free agency.  Earlier this week, head coach Rick Tocchet told reporters including Jackie Spiegel of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the plan is to rotate the two for a while and see who takes the lead.  It’s actually the same situation that Vladar had to start last season as he platooned with Dustin Wolf before Wolf took over as the full-fledged starter in the second half.  He’ll have to wait a while to have a chance of coming out on the other side of that battle now in Philadelphia.

Metropolitan Notes: Devils, Capitals, Rangers

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The New Jersey Devils have announced that Evgenii Dadonov has been placed on injured reserve, and in a corresponding move, they have recalled Brian Halonen from AHL Utica. 

Given Dadonov’s fractured hand, there was some speculation earlier today as to what the Devils would do. Rather than turn to a younger prospect, New Jersey has called upon Halonen, 26. Undrafted out of Michigan Tech University, Halonen has spent the past four seasons with the Utica Comets, including a 27-goal breakout last year. His efforts have led to two brief call-ups in the past, two games apiece in the last two years, where the Minnesota native has not yet recorded a point. 

In place of Dadonov, the team could turn to fellow Russian Arseny Gritsyuk for a larger role, having already impressed as a 24-year-old rookie out of the KHL, with two assists in as many games. Meanwhile, Halonen will provide depth and hope to slot into the team’s bottom six. Dadonov, 36, was brought in last summer on a one year, $1MM deal, however, he has been a steady offensive presence in 617 NHL games, and was a candidate to outperform the contract. The injury in his Devils’ debut is undoubtedly a set-back, but unfortunately New Jersey is no stranger to such adversity, especially after last season. 

Elsewhere across the Metropolitan Division:

  • Chris Cerullo of Russian Machine Never Breaks outlined an interesting draft story from Washington last June. As seen in a behind-the-scenes video posted by the team, the Capitals aggressively tried to move up ten spots or more to select Lynden Lakovic, the talented Moose Jaw Warriors winger. Such efforts proved futile, however, the Caps’ brass watched on the edge of their seats as Lakovic remained on the board. Finally, after Nashville selected Ryker Lee at 26, Washington jumped to snag the 6’4” forward. Lakovic remains in the WHL this season, but forecasts as a big part of the Capitals’ future, as another forward with imposing size. As time goes on, it will be fascinating to see how Lakovic, along with each forward taken before him, pans out; especially given the hypotheticals. As also mentioned in the article, the Capitals were thrilled again when Milton Gastrin, their second-round selection, also fell into their laps.
  • Rangers Head Coach Mike Sullivan told Colin Stephenson of Newsday Sports that Jonathan Quick will handle starting duty for the Blueshirts tonight as they host the Capitals. The news is not surprising, given Igor Shesterkin’s usage last night in Pittsburgh. However, it will be interesting to see how much the 39-year-old Quick is deployed this season, and what he still has to offer. Stephenson also mentioned that young defenseman Matthew Robertson will slot into the lineup for Carson Soucy, who was placed on IR earlier today. 

Metro Notes: Angello, Dadonov, Ritchie

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A few days ago, longtime AHL player and brief NHL player Anthony Angello announced his retirement from hockey via his Instagram. According to the announcement, Angello will return to Cornell University to complete his degree, having previously spent three years there from 2015 to 2018.

The Syracuse, NY native was drafted with the 145th overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. After his three years with the Big Red, Angello began playing in the Penguins organization with the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins toward the end of the 2017-18 season. He remained with them for the next several years, primarily as an AHL talent, and made his NHL debut.

After the 2021-22 campaign, Angello suited up for three different teams: the Springfield Thunderbirds, Milwaukee Admirals, and his hometown Syracuse Crunch. Now that his career is officially over, Angello will finish with three goals and five points in 31 NHL contests, with 72 goals and 143 points in 339 AHL games, including another six points in 26 Calder Cup playoff appearances. We at PHR congratulate Angello on his professional career and wish him luck on his next chapter.

Other Metropolitan notes:

  • In some early-season adversity, the early prognosis on New Jersey Devils forward Evgenii Dadonov’s injury isn’t good. According to team reporter Amanda Stein, imaging on Dadonov’s hand has revealed a fracture. He’ll be out for New Jersey’s current road trip, which concludes against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. The team will know more about his recovery timeline once they return to New Jersey.
  • According to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, New York Islanders forward prospect Calum Ritchie resumed skating this morning, though there were no significant updates to his injury rehab. Ritchie, acquired from the Colorado Avalanche at last season’s trade deadline, is currently dealing with a mild lower-body injury. Regardless, despite him skating with the Islanders this morning, the bulk of Ritchie’s season is expected to take place with the AHL’s Bridgeport Islanders.

East Notes: Dadonov, Gritsyuk, Hagens, Peddle

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One of the more under-the-radar signings on the opening day of unrestricted free agency this month was the Devils signing winger Evgenii Dadonov to a one-year, $1MM contract that also contains $2.25MM in games played and playoff bonuses.  He told Sports.ru’s Dmitry Shevchenko that he had two or three other similar offers on the table in terms of money and bonus-laden structure while not giving much consideration to the offers made for him to return home to the KHL.  Dadonov is coming off a 20-goal, 20-assist season in Dallas but saw his role reduced in the playoffs which likely didn’t help his cause on the open market this month.

Elsewhere in the East:

  • Still with the Devils, prospect winger Arseni Gritsyuk acknowledged to Alexey Shevchenko of Sport-Express that he has a European Assignment Clause in his deal. It will kick in if he’s not on New Jersey’s roster by November 15th.  The 24-year-old had a strong showing with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL last season, notching 17 goals and 27 assists in 49 games, helping earn him a one-year, entry-level pact back in May.  It appears Gritsyuk is open to starting the season with AHL Utica but only for a short period of time.
  • While the Bruins could probably use James Hagens in their lineup for the upcoming season, Boston.com’s Conor Ryan suggests that the best thing for their new top prospect would be to stay in college for another year. Hagens was a point-per-game player in 37 games for Boston College last season, an impressive performance as an underager, leading some to think he could be ready to make the jump.  But rather than throw him into the mix in what could be another retooling season, Hagens might be better off being the undisputed top player for the Eagles (following the departures of Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault) for next season, then getting a few games in with Boston once his college campaign comes to an end.
  • Penguins prospect Brady Peddle has decided to head to major junior as QMJHL Charlottetown announced that they’ve signed the blueliner for the upcoming season. The 18-year-old was a third-round pick last month, going 91st overall after spending last year with USHL Waterloo where he had 10 points in 62 regular season games and 10 more in 15 playoff outings.  Peddle is committed to Michigan State for 2026-27 and that appears to remain the intention so his junior stint is expected to just be for 2025-26.

Devils Sign Evgenii Dadonov, Dennis Cholowski

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The Devils have signed winger Evgenii Dadonov to a one-year deal, the team announced. It’s worth a $1MM base salary plus performance bonuses, Stephen Whyno of the AP reports. The club also brought back defenseman Dennis Cholowski on a one-year, league minimum contract after he briefly became a free agent.

New Jersey will find a strong lineup match in Dadonov after parting ways with Erik Haula earlier this month. Like Haula, Dadonov is a high-volume shooter who has continued to produce through his later years. He scored a stout 20 goals and 40 point in 80 games with the Dallas Stars this season – then tacked on an additional four points in 16 postseason games. The performance was a nice refresher of Dadonov’s abilities, after he spent part of the 2023-24 season injured. He scored just 23 points in 51 games as a result. Prior to that, Dadonov had either totaled, or paced for, at least 40 points in two of his last four seasons.

His routine challenge of the 40-point mark began after a pair of red-hot seasons marking Dadonov’s return from a five-year tenure in Russia’s KHL from 2012 to 2017. He rejoined the NHL with the Florida Panthers, and quickly managed back-to-back 28-goal seasons. Those performances were bolstered to 65 points in 74 games, and 70 points in 82 games – though he wasn’t able to keep the good times rolling through a third year in Florida. His dip to 25 goals and 47 points in 69 games of 2019-20 sparked a trio of one-year stops with the Ottawa Senators, Vegas Golden Knights, and Montreal Canadiens. Dadonov didn’t stay longer than one year with a club until he joined Dallas for three years beginning in 2022. Now, Dadonov will head to the Eastern Conference, and likely a hardy role on New Jersey’s third line.

Meanwhile, Cholowski will be set to return to the extra defender role he carried through the end of last season. He began the year in the seventh-man role wit hthe New York Islanders, but was bumped into the roster for 33 games after Mike Reilly was diagnosed with a heart condition. Cholowski recorded 10 points in those outings – not enough to command much time in New York, but plenty to gain notice on the open market. New Jersey acquired Cholowski in exchange for forward Adam Beckman. He stepped into the Devils’ extra role and didn’t post any scoring through six regular season games or two postseason games. Still, Cholowski is a well-rounded depth piece who can provide serviceable fill-in should the Devils’ blue-line face injury.

PHR’s Gabriel Foley contributed significantly to this article.

No Extension Talks Planned For Stars And Evgenii Dadonov

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Veteran winger Evgenii Dadonov proved to be a valuable addition for the Stars at the 2022 trade deadline, adding another offensive threat to a deep roster.  He made a good enough impression to land a two-year, $4.5MM extension a few days before free agency opened up last year.

As he’s now in the final year of that agreement, Dadonov is now technically extension-eligible.  However, it doesn’t appear as if he’s interested in holding any extension talks, telling Sport-Express’ Mikhail Skryl that he wants to wait and see what happens after the season.

The 35-year-old wasn’t quite as impactful offensively as he was when he was first acquired.  He missed 31 games due to a lower-body injury; his 51 games played were his lowest since the 2011-12 campaign.  Nevertheless, Dadonov was still a capable secondary contributor, notching 12 goals and 11 assists while logging a little over 13 minutes a night in what was a largely bottom-six role.  He chipped in with seven points in 19 playoff appearances before Dallas was eliminated in the Western Conference Final.

At this point, it’s likely that Dadonov will be deployed in a similar role in 2024-25 with the Stars returning the bulk of their forward group from the playoffs.  Accordingly, he could be in line for more limited playing time once again compared to what he played with Florida, Ottawa, and Vegas in recent years.

To that end, Dadonov didn’t rule out the possibility of returning to Russia after this coming season.  Going back overseas is something he’s already done once as he left for the KHL in 2012, only returning in 2017.  Finishing up his career back home in a role he’s more accustomed to could certainly be tempting.  At this point, Dadonov would only say that he expects to field both NHL and KHL interest next summer but it appears the prospect of leaving the NHL is already on his mind.

Senators Retain Seventh-Overall Pick, Defer Penalty To 2025 Or 2026

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The Senators have opted to retain the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft after failing to win either draw during Tuesday night’s lottery, general manager Steve Staios confirmed today (via Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch). Ottawa is now required to forfeit either their 2025 or 2026 first-round selection as a result of failing to properly inform the Golden Knights of winger Evgenii Dadonov’s no-trade clause in a July 2021 trade.

As was the case this year, the Senators will need to inform the league within 24 hours after the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery if they wish to retain their 2025 first-round choice or surrender their 2026 top pick. With Ottawa planning on challenging for postseason action after another difficult campaign this season, choosing to retain this year’s choice – likely the highest-value pick – was widely expected.

There will be a multitude of high-ceiling talents for the Sens to choose from in what’s billed as one of the deeper top 10s in recent memory. Checking in at seventh overall in TSN’s Bob McKenzie’s recent polling of NHL scouts is dynamic defenseman Zayne Parekh, who lit up the Ontario Hockey League this season with 33 goals and 96 points in 66 games for the Saginaw Spirit. Both those figures led all OHL defensemen, continuing to take leaps and bounds forward in his development after earning All-Rookie Team honors with Saginaw the year before. The Toronto-area native is a right-shot blue liner and is ever-so-slightly undersized at 6’0″ and 181 lbs, but they should almost definitely step into the NHL by 2025-26 if not next season. He’d be a welcome addition to a Sens defense prospect pool that lacks much NHL upside outside of shutdown D-man Tyler Kleven.

Other options potentially available in the Sens’ range are two-way blue-liner Sam Dickinson, offensive defenseman Zeev Buium, Finnish forward Konsta Helenius, and quickly-rising winger Tij Iginla. All would likely be top-five locks in weaker drafts.

Central Notes: Stars, McGroarty, Niederreiter, Wild

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Looking to clinch home-ice advantage through the Western Conference Finals tomorrow night against the St. Louis Blues, the Dallas Stars will be without defenseman Jani Hakanpaa according to Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News. However, in the same report, after being a full participant in practice this morning, forward Evgenii Dadonov will be a game-time decision.

Having already missed the last 13 games for the Stars due to a lower-body injury, the organization does not seem keen to rush Hakanpaa back and potentially reaggravate his injury before the playoffs. Even though he is one of the team’s better physical defensemen, Dallas hasn’t missed a beat in Hakanpaa’s absence, as they’ve produced a 10-2-0 record while limiting opponents to just a 1.92 goals against per game on average.

Unlike Hakanpaa, Dadonov has been out of the lineup for the last two months with a lower-body injury, which will cap him at only 51 games played this year if he can play in tomorrow night’s contest. With the team on the precipice of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, Dadonov may find himself in the press box for much of the postseason but could add some offensive punch to the team’s fourth line.

Other Central notes:

  •  After his sophomore season came to an end on April 11th against the Boston College Eagles, Rutger McGroarty is opting to forego signing an entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets and will return to the University of Michigan next year according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Displaying a very mature sense of hockey IQ for his age, the 14th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft showed off with an elite playmaking season with the Wolverines. Helping his team make their third straight Frozen Four appearance, McGroarty scored 16 goals and 52 points over 36 games this year and should become a fixture of the Hobey Baker Award conversation next season.
  • Missing the last five games due to an Achilles injury, Nino Niederreiter should return to the lineup tonight against the Seattle Kraken (X Link). During the organization’s game against the Los Angeles Kings on April 1st, Niederreiter sustained a cut to his tendon, which required eight stitches to close. With the team still having two games left to play, Winnipeg will need only one point to clinch the second spot in the Central Division.
  • With their season set to come to an end on Wednesday evening, the Minnesota Wild will get forward Frederick Gaudreau back in the lineup as he has officially returned from personal leave according to Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports. Unfortunately, it does not appear that Mats Zuccarello will return to the team before their final game, meaning he will finish the year with 11 goals and 62 points in 68 games.

Central Notes: Dadonov, Hakanpaa, Niederreiter, Toffoli, Hayes

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Injured Stars skaters Evgenii Dadonov and Jani Hakanpää haven’t yet returned to full team practices, but head coach Peter DeBoer is optimistic they’ll be options when the playoffs kick off on April 20, Brien Rea of Bally Sports Southwest reports. Both are sidelined with lower-body injuries, although only Dadonov is on long-term injured reserve. His role has been filled expertly by rookie Logan Stankoven, who’s mustered six goals and 12 points in 17 games since making his NHL debut in late February. The 35-year-old is only a season removed from being one of Dallas’ more important secondary scorers in last year’s run to the Western Conference Final, potting four goals and 10 points in 16 playoff games. However, he’s been limited to 23 points in 50 games this season after inking a two-year, $4.5MM extension to remain in Dallas over the summer. As such, there’s no guarantee he enters the playoff lineup ahead of Stankoven even if healthy, and the skill winger isn’t the best fit for a fourth-line role.

Hakanpää’s absence hasn’t been as lengthy, not suiting up since March 16 against the Kings. The 32-year-old Finn had been pushed down the depth chart anyway, thanks to the emergence of Thomas Harley in a top-pairing role and the acquisition of Chris Tanev from the Flames, taking him out of his usual second-pairing role alongside countryman Esa Lindell. When he returns to health, it’ll be in battle with Nils Lundkvist for bottom-pairing minutes alongside veteran anchor Ryan Suter. Still an incredibly competent shutdown blue-liner, Hakanpää has two goals and 12 points in 64 games this season, his third in the Lone Star State. His possession metrics remain below average but are still in an excusable range given his extreme defensive-zone usage at even strength, although his short-handed metrics have taken a tumble. He’s one of their most relied-upon penalty-killers when healthy, averaging 3:16 per game.

Other updates out of the Central:

  • Jets winger Nino Niederreiter will be out at least one week after sustaining a laceration on the back of his leg from a skate cut against the Kings on Monday, head coach Rick Bowness said today (via John Lu of TSN). Bowness called the injury “a pretty bad gash” and said it would have been more severe had Niederreiter not been wearing Kevlar socks. Niederreiter’s return timeline will keep him out of the next three games, but he could re-enter the lineup in a key battle for playoff positioning against the Stars next Thursday. The 31-year-old has once again excelled as a remarkably consistent two-way middle-six winger, potting 18 goals and 33 points in 75 games this year in spite of slightly reduced minutes. He potted four points in five games in Winnipeg’s first-round loss to the Golden Knights last year and will be a secondary X-factor if Winnipeg wants to escape a likely showdown with the Avalanche in a few weeks. Niederreiter will be replaced in tomorrow’s lineup against the Flames by trade-deadline pickup Tyler Toffoli, Bowness confirmed. He’d missed Winnipeg’s tilt against Los Angeles with an illness. Toffoli has been a solid pickup for Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, scoring four goals and two assists for six points in 11 games. He’s now reached the 30-goal plateau in back-to-back seasons for the first time.
  • Blues center Kevin Hayes has the flu and is questionable for a practically do-or-die game against the Predators tomorrow, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports. He’s expected to travel with the club as they embark on a three-game road trip, though, and could return soon after if he misses the Nashville contest. Their already slim postseason chances would drop to around 1% with a regulation loss and 2% with an overtime loss, per MoneyPuck. They’re three points back of the Kings for the final wild-card spot in the West with one more game played, although L.A. is on a three-game losing streak. Hayes has disappointed after coming over in an offseason trade from the Flyers, notching 13 goals and 29 points in 75 games in a bottom-six role. It’s the worst offensive output of his 10-year career by a significant margin. If he’s unable to suit up against the Preds, Nikita Alexandrov and Zachary Bolduc are both extras on hand and available to enter the lineup.

Dallas Stars Recall Matěj Blümel, Place Evgenii Dadonov On LTIR

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In an announcement coming from the Dallas Stars organization, the team has recalled forward Matěj Blümel from their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars. In a corresponding move, the team has placed forward Evgenii Dadonov on Long-Term Injured Reserve, retroactively to February 10th.

With Dadonov now expected to miss both the next 10 games and 24 days for the Stars, it is only natural that the team decided to fill in his lost minutes with a depth option from the AHL. However, it does come as a slight surprise that the Stars did not opt to call up either Logan Stankoven or Mavrik Bourque, who are first and second in league scoring, respectively.

Nevertheless, Blümel is no pushover offensively, as he’s scored 20 goals through 46 games for Texas this season, good for second on the team in that category. Furthermore, unlike Stankoven and Bourque, Blümel does have prior NHL experience, scoring one goal in six games for the Stars last season.

At the end of the day, this decision may ultimately benefit both Stankoven and Bourque in the long run, as they will both be able to continue to play high-leverage minutes for a competitive team. Well on their way to a playoff run this spring, Texas is sporting a 24-17-3-2 record up to this point sitting second in the AHL’s Central Division.

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