Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill announced a couple of injuries during his final media availability today.
Forward Evgenii Dadonov suffered a Grade 2 MCL strain and had the Stars been able to knock off the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final, Dadonov likely would not have suited up in the Stanley Cup Final.
Dadonov, 34, was acquired from the Montreal Canadiens at the trade deadline; the Russian veteran notched 15 points (two goals, 13 assists) in 23 games with the Stars during the regular season. He registered an additional 10 points (four goals, six assists) in 16 playoff games. He is due for a contract renewal, as his three-year, $15M deal has expired, making Dadonov an unrestricted free agent.
On the backend, Finnish defenseman Jani Hakanpaa will undergo offseason knee surgery. He was dealing with a back injury throughout the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound right-shot defender registered 16 points (six goals, 10 assists) in 82 games and an additional two points in 15 playoff games. Hakanpaa blocked 128 shots this season; he averaged 1.56 blocks per game, ranking second among Stars players. Hakanpaa made 224 hits this season, which ranks him 15th among NHL players during the 2022-23 season.
The Kirkkonummi, Finland product is going into the final year of his contract. He signed a three-year, $4.5M extension in 2021; he has a cap hit of $1.5M. Hakanpaa will become an unrestricted free agent come the end of the 2023-24 season.
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