The Dallas Stars will be hard-pressed to bring back both Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov, according to Saad Yousuf of The Athletic. Both forwards are unrestricted free agents who came over to the Stars in trade-deadline moves, and they were able to fit in well in their new environment. Dadonov had three goals and 12 assists in 23 games after coming over in a trade from the Montreal Canadiens, while Domi had two goals and five assists in 20 games after the trade from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Both players had a similar journey to end up in Dallas, albeit at much different points in their careers. The 34-year-old Dadonov spent six seasons in Florida, where he was quite productive putting up 202 points in 280 games before he signed with the Ottawa Senators as a free agent. He was traded three times in the span of a year before ending up in Dallas, where he played quite well down the stretch.
Domi, on the other hand, spent three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes where the 28-year-old posted 135 points in 222 games before he was dealt to Montreal, then the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Carolina Hurricanes. He signed a one-year contract this past offseason with the Chicago Blackhawks before he was traded to Dallas at the deadline.
Yousuf writes in the article that Dallas general manager Jim Nill would love to have both players back, but cap space will likely be an issue. Dallas has just $7.4M available for next season and based on the projections of Evolving Hockey, Domi figures to get a contract around $4.4M per year, while Dadonov is projected to get $2.7M. Those numbers would leave Nill with $300K to fill out two roster sports, not something that would be possible.
Yousuf adds that he expects Dadonov to be the likelier or the two to return to the club but doesn’t dive too deep into his logic. While cost is always a factor, Dadonov has struggled to fit in with previous clubs and really thrived under head coach Pete DeBoer. Given that close relationship between player and coach, it is possible that Dadonov will select comfort level over money on his next contract. Especially after he was dealt four times during his previous deal.
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