In the 2020-21 season, Evgenii Dadonov spent the season with the Ottawa Senators. After one season in Ottawa, Dadonov was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Dadonov's name became infamous in Ottawa in 2023 when the NHL punished the Senators for forcing them to forfeit their first-round draft pick in of the years from 2024-2026 due their handling of the trade. The Senators are forfeiting their first-round pick in 2026.
This Summer, Dadonov will be an unrestricted free agent at 36 years old. With the production Dadonov had this past season, his play could potentially interest the Senators with a potential reunion with the Russian forward.
Dadonov had steady 2024-25 season
Dadonov has spent the past three years in the Western Conference Finals with the Dallas Stars with being a solid role player that provided veteran leadership. The 2024-25 season was Dadonov's best season in Dallas to show that he can still play at a steady level.
In the 2024-25 season, Dadonov recorded 40 points. Twenty of Dadonov's 40 points on the season were goals. Dadonov was sixth overall on the Stars roster in goals scored.
Being sixth on a deep Dallas team with depth can help a veteran stand out stronger. However, Dadonov did struggle in the 2025 playoffs with recording four points in 16 games.
Dadonov did score a pivotal goal for the Stars in Game 2 of the first round against the Colorado Avalanche to tie the game in the third period, Now, Dadonov will be due for a new contract this Summer, and can be efficient if signed in Ottawa.
Dadonov will provide veteran presence to the locker room. Along with that, Dadonov could be brought in not very overpried for a contract. Over the past two seasons, Dadonov's salary per year in Dallas was $2.25 million.
According to PuckPedia, Dallas has under $5 million in cap space and will have to decide on other free agents to sign with the names of Jamie Benn, Mikael Granlund and ex-Senators Matt Duchene and Cody Ceci. That is where Dadonov can become to sign for the Senators if the Stars can't afford to offer him a new contract.
The Senators will have decisions to make at forwards this free agency with Adam Gaudette, Nick Cousins, Fabian Zetterlund and Matthew Highmore. If the Senators lose one or more of those players, Dadonov can become available to play at the bottom-six and provide point production.
Dadonov showed that he can be a quality player on a team at his age with producing a solid 20-goal season, which can draw interest from teams when needing a bottom-six forward.