Dadonov Drawing KHL Interest as NHL Market Goes Quiet

Evgenii Dadonov might be headed back to Russia.

The 37-year-old winger is drawing KHL interest after a lost season in New Jersey, and the phone has been quiet on this side of the ocean. Championat’s Maxim Makarov reported last month that Traktor Chelyabinsk was working on the veteran. The Shanghai Dragons have been linked to him as well, though that one is being treated as a long shot for now.

Dadonov’s NHL market dried up for a reason. He signed a one-year deal with the Devils last summer worth $1 million in base salary plus another $2.25 million in bonuses, and the season fell apart almost immediately.

He took a shot to the hand in the opener, played under 10 minutes, and landed on long-term injured reserve inside a week. A wrist issue cost him more time after that. When he was in the lineup, the production never came.

Twenty-four games, one goal, and less than 11 minutes a night, more than five minutes below his career average. New Jersey put him on waivers in March and nobody claimed him. That is a steep drop for a guy who posted 40 points in Dallas the year before.

Here is a reminder of what Dadonov looked like in that last full NHL season:

The resume is still real. Dadonov has 164 goals and 198 assists in 641 NHL games across parts of a dozen seasons, with stops in Florida, Ottawa, Vegas, Montreal, Anaheim, Dallas and New Jersey. A team chasing a playoff spot could still float a tryout closer to camp.

He would not be the first NHL name to take the KHL route this summer. Hunter Shepard signed in the KHL recently, and the Russian league has been aggressive adding North American talent.

Dadonov came up in the Russian system before the Panthers drafted him, so a move home would not be a shock. Chelyabinsk, Shanghai or one more NHL tryout, his next stop should be settled before training camps open.