The New Jersey Devils entered this season looking to compete for more than just a playoff spot. Their enviable core has the makings of what could be a dynasty. As such, it seems the club just needed some additions around the fringes to keep it moving forward.
One of those offseason additions was veteran forward Evgenii Dadonov. The Devils signed the 36-year-old to a one-year, $1 million deal to bolster the depth. It was a pretty good deal, considering Dadonov was coming off a 20-goal season with the Dallas Stars last year.
Unfortunately, the Dadonov experiment for the Devils hasn’t really worked out. Dadonov has pretty much fallen off the radar in New Jersey, playing just five games this season. That situation led Sean McIndoe of The Athletic to pen the following thoughts on the veteran winger:
“Yeah, apparently he’s on the Devils now. You could be forgiven for missing that, as he’s only been healthy enough to play five games, with one injury costing him six weeks early and a more recent one landing him back on the IR. Those five games, and the zero points he’s scored in them, aren’t the ones the Devils had in mind when they signed him. But the contract is cheap and contains performance bonuses, so they can afford a little bit more patience.”
McIndoe’s comments offer a glimmer of hope. It still seems too soon to write Dadonov off. He could come back in the second half and deliver the production the Devils hoped he could provide.
That may seem like a pipe dream at this point, however.
Dadonov’s contract with Devils loaded with incentives
It’s worth pointing out that Dadonov’s contract this year comes loaded with incentives. His $1 million cap hit is nothing more than the base salary. The way the contract is structured, the Russian forward will earn $250K in performance bonuses for every 10 games played. As such, his next milestone will come at 10 games played.
By the looks of things, that milestone won’t be coming any time soon. Dadonov can earn additional bonuses at 20, 30, 40, and50 games played in the regular season. At this point, the 50-game bonus has sailed.
Dadonov could also earn additional bonuses for playoff appearances and winning rounds. Again, given his injury situation, it seems unlikely that he could achieve such bonuses.
Ultimately, the Devils took a calculated risk on Dadonov. Since he signed a one-year deal, the contract won’t set the Devils back. Plus, his inability to earn bonuses this season shouldn’t weigh heavily on the team’s cap situation next year.
The contract, incidentally, has a no-trade clause through March 1. Thereafter, it becomes a 10-team clause. So, who knows, there might be a team out there willing to relieve the Devils of Dadonov’s remaining cap hit.