Before the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline passed, the Dallas Stars acquired Evgenii Dadonov from the Montreal Canadiens in what seemed like a fairly small move. Yet, the 34-year-old thrived following the trade, posting 15 points in 23 regular-season contests and 10 points in 16 playoff games for Dallas. Clearly, the Stars liked what they saw from him, as they now have signed him to a two-year, $4.5 million contract. He will carry a $2.25 million cap hit until the completion of the 2024-25 season.
Dadonov has now guaranteed himself two more years in the NHL, and that is excellent to see. He has earned it following his good play for the Stars.
Dadonov’s Fit With the Stars
Now that Dadonov has been signed, he will continue to be a solid part of the Stars’ middle six. Although his production has tailed off just a tad from his prime years, he showed following his trade to Dallas that he can still be an effective offensive contributor when utilized in the right role. With that, he will also be a valuable asset for their power play moving forward due to his solid offensive instincts and effective passing ability.
Dadonov also offers strong versatility, as he is capable of playing both sides of the wing. Due to this, he will continue to fit virtually anywhere in the Stars’ top nine. This should come in handy, as the Stars could certainly use more depth on the wings. Thankfully, that is something Dadonov will continue to provide for them from here.
Dadonov Will Continue to Provide Stars With Another Veteran
Another nice element about keeping Dadonov around is that he will continue to be an effective veteran presence on their roster. With the Stars currently being one of the top clubs in the Western Conference, it is good that they will have the skilled winger around as a mentor for the team’s younger players.
Dadonov has played in nine NHL seasons, where he has recorded 131 goals, 167 assists, and 298 points in 486 games played. He also played several seasons in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), so he has been around the block. It will now be intriguing to see what he can provide for the Stars over these next two seasons.
Dadonov Signing Could Indicate Other UFA Won’t Be Back
Dadonov was one of the primary unrestricted free agents (UFA) from the Stars this offseason. The other is of course Max Domi. Due to the Stars’ limited cap space, it appears unlikely that Domi will be back after this Dadonov re-signing. Although Domi put together the stronger overall season, he also is going to command more money than Dadonov given his age and production. Thus, it ultimately makes sense that the Stars have prioritized Dadonov, at least for now.
At the end of the day, this Dadonov re-signing is what I would consider a low-risk, high-reward type of situation. His contract is affordable and short-term, so it has no reason to come back and bite the Stars. Furthermore, when noting how well of a fit he was for them upon his arrival, it is not too far-fetched to believe that he will continue to make an impact for them. We will need to wait and see how well he does for them after earning this nice two-year pact.
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