If all goes according to plan, Evgenii Dadonov could end up being the most impactful free agent addition the New Jersey Devils made this offseason.
After all, Dadonov, 36, was with the Dallas Stars for each of their three Western Conference Finals appearances over the last three seasons. The veteran Russian winger hasn't quite reached the Stanley Cup Final, but he's seen and played enough hockey to understand the difference between making it and not.
Plus, the Devils would love to make the Eastern Conference Finals again sometime soon.
So, why would Dadonov choose to leave the Stars for the Devils after so many successful runs and being on the cusp of reaching the Cup Final? Opportunity, Dadonov says in a recent interview with Sport.ru, was the biggest selling point.
"Yes, [hitting free agency is] very unpleasant. Reviewed the first proposals that were made and felt that New Jersey was a good option," Dadonov explained. "The main thing is that I see myself in some role in this team. Well, so that the team is potentially competitive, with the task of playing in the playoffs."
What will Dadonov's role with the Devils be, exactly? That much hasn't been made clear just yet, but it's easy to imagine a path to top-nine minutes and power play time right away.
"Discussing is one thing, but how it turns out in reality, anything can already happen there. I think there are chances to have a good season both as a team and individually," Dadonov said of his role with the Devils. "There are good players there, strong forwards that I will play with. I thought that this was a good situation on all sides."
The 36-year-old noted that he had been in contact with two or three other teams, and one team opted to sign another player. The Stars were open to retaining him, but the strength of their offer didn't compare to the Devils' offer.
New Jersey Devils beat multiple other teams to sign Evgenii Dadonov
Since Dadonov's signing, many Devils fans have hypothesized that the grizzled vet could serve as a mentor for incoming Russian prospect Arseniy Gritsyuk, who would've otherwise been the only Russian player on the Devils, obviously excluding assistant coach and club icon Sergei Brylin.
This wasn't something discussed with Dadonov, but he's open to helping if needed.
"No, there was no talk about this at all. Of course, if something is needed, I can help in any matter, on or off the ice," Dadonov said.
The next step for the longtime Florida Panthers forward is to acclimate his family before the end of the summer.
"They will come with me. I want to be with my family. As for adaptation, I think everything will be fine. Children make friends in all corners of the Earth. For the last couple of years, they studied in a regular school, but 1-2 times a week, they had classes with a Russian tutor. And on Saturdays, they went to a Russian school – there is such a Saturday school here," Dadonov added.
"We are looking for and hopefully we will find a good place to be convenient for both me and the family. We are still looking at options and studying them. Of course, I would like to close these issues early - school begins in September - in order to settle all everyday issues before the start of the school year."
And with that, Dadonov's first training camp with the Devils will start on Wednesday, Sept. 17. The Devils still have lots of work to do between now and then, but Dadonov is an important piece of what they've accomplished so far.