The New Jersey Devils' top six did not see the improvement many fans hoped for this offseason, but GM Tom Fitzgerald added a few pieces who could compete for time alongside Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. With Jesper Bratt tied to Hughes and Timo Meier finding life alongside the captain, the Devils went into training camp looking for a third on each line.
Evgenii Dadonov was a surprising starting partner for Hughes’s line, but there was instant chemistry between the three. His speed and hockey IQ helped create some big chances in the preseason.
When the season started on Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes, the first line was one of the only bright spots in the game. The Canes were dominating possession for most of the night, finishing with 60 percent of all chances and high-danger chances according to Natural Stat Trick.
Dadonov-Hughes-Bratt played just six minutes together at 5v5 on Thursday, and they had the only high-danger chance in those six minutes. They did a good job creating opportunities while keeping the Canes off the board.
Then, out of nowhere, Ondrej Palat was back on a line with Bratt and Hughes. This was something most Devils fans wanted nothing to do with. The hope was to avoid Palat in the top six at all costs, and it was especially true for Hughes’s line.
Initially, it seemed like a line demotion or shake-up was the cause, but we later discovered that Dadonov had suffered an injury. He took a puck off his glove, and he didn’t play outside of two shifts in the third period.
After reports seemed to show that X-rays were negative, further testing found the bad news nobody wanted to hear.
Evgenii Dadonov went for further imaging on his hand and it was discovered he does have a fracture. He will be out for the remainder of the #NJDevils trip and will be evaluated when we get back to NJ.
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) October 11, 2025
New Jersey Devils will likely be without Evgenii Dadonov for weeks after hand injury
Devils' reporter Amanda Stein confirms the Devils will be without Dadonov for the rest of the road trip, which includes Saturday's affair with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Monday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. That just tells us he won't be evaluated until after those games.
Already this season, Montreal Canadiens defenseman David Reinbacher is going to miss a minimum of four weeks with a broken hand, and Seattle Kraken forward Kaapo Kakko is out six weeks with his own recovery process.
Obviously, the severity of the injury will determine when we will see Dadonov back, but we’d be floored if he played another game in October. The home opener next Thursday seems absolutely out of the question.
The Devils should not use Palat as a solution until Dadonov gets back. They have three young players who deserve a shot. Arseny Gristyuk was electric in the preseason, and Shane Lachance and Lenni Hameenaho both almost made the roster out of camp. They would all pair very well with Hughes, who can pull offensive numbers out of anyone.
We also like the idea of Dawson Mercer on Hughes’s line and moving Bratt to the left, but then there’s just another hole on Hischier’s line (although that’s more easily filled by a guy like Connor Brown or Paul Cotter).
It’s truly not the injury the Devils could afford with this insane October schedule they face. Hopefully, this isn’t as bad as some of the other hand injuries around the league.