Meet the Newest New Jersey Devil: Evgenii Dadonov

The New Jersey Devils did not just sign Connor Brown on the first day of free agency. On top of signing Brown, the Devils also signed forward Evgenii Dadonov to a one-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $1 million. Let’s look at Dadonov’s career in the NHL so far.

Dadonov’s Beginnings in Florida 

Dadonov began his NHL career in 2007, when he was drafted by the Florida Panthers 71st overall. He continued to play in Russia for two more years before he came to the United States to play in the 2009-10 season. He spent the majority of the season with the Rochester Americans, where he played 76 games and recorded 40 points. He played his first NHL game on April 6, 2010, where he earned a minus-1 and took one shot. He went on to play three more games that season, but recorded zero points. Dadonov split his time between Rochester and Florida for the 2010-11 season. With Rochester, he played 24 games and recorded 16 points. He played his first game of the season with the Panthers on Dec. 7, 2010, and recorded his first NHL assist. Three games later, on Dec. 15, he recorded his first NHL goal. In total for the season, Dadonov played 36 regular-season games with the Panthers and recorded 17 points via eight goals and nine assists. 

Dadonov played one more split season in 2011-12 for Florida. He played 55 games in the American Hockey League (AHL), which were split between the San Antonio Rampage and the Charlotte Checkers. Between those 55 games, he recorded 28 points. He played 15 games with the Panthers and recorded only four points via one goal and three assists. However, this would be the last season he would don the Panthers’ colors for a while. 

Dadonov Heads Overseas 

On July 4, 2012, Dadonov signed with Donetsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) as a free agent. He played in two seasons for Donetsk, 2012-13 and 2013-14. In the two seasons, he played 106 games and recorded 67 points. 

Dadonov stayed in the KHL, as St. Petersburg signed him when he hit the free agency market in 2014. He played for St. Petersburg from 2014 until 2017. In his three seasons with the team, he played 165 games and recorded 158 points. After his best season in the league, he returned to the States. 

Dadonov Comes Back to the States

On July 1, 2017, the Panthers signed Dadonov as a free agent. This time, he didn’t touch AHL ice and only played full-time in the NHL. The 2017-18 season was his first full season, where he played 74 games and recorded 65 points via 28 goals and 35 assists. It seems his time in the KHL conditioned him, as he experienced a significant increase in production. 

Dadonov played a full 82-game season in 2018-19 and recorded 70 points, his personal best point total in a single season. In 2019-20, his performance dipped, and he recorded 47 points in 69 games. While still an impressive total, the Panthers chose not to re-sign him. 

On Oct. 15, 2020, the Ottawa Senators signed Dadonov as a free agent. He played 55 games in the 2020-21 season and recorded 20 points. His time in Ottawa was short. On July 28, 2021, Ottawa traded Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Nick Holden and a third-round pick in the 2022 Draft. He spent one season with Vegas, playing 78 games and recording 43 points. 

After the 2021-22 season was done, Vegas traded him to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Shea Weber on June 16, 2022. Dadonov began the 2022-23 season with Montreal, where he played 50 games and recorded 18 points. He didn’t get to play a full season, though, as they traded him to Dallas on Feb. 26, 2023, in exchange for Denis Gurianov. He finished the 2022-23 season playing 23 games and recording 15 points. He also played 16 postseason games, recording ten points via four goals and six assists. 

Dadonov Found a Home in Dallas 

After hopping around to several different teams, Dadonov signed a two-year contract to stay in Dallas on June 27, 2023. In his first season with the Stars, he played 51 games and recorded 23 points. He missed 29 games due to a lower-body injury he sustained in the middle of the season. He was healthy enough to return for the playoffs, playing in 19 postseason games and recording seven points.