Saad Yousuf of The Athletic wrote today that the Dallas Stars will be hard pressed to bring back both Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov. Both forwards are unrestricted free agents who came over to the Stars in trade deadline moves and they were able to fit in well in their new environment. Dadonov had three goals and 12 assists in 23 games after coming over in a trade from the Montreal Canadiens while Domi had two goals and five assists in 20 games after the trade from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Both players had a similar journey to end up in Dallas, albeit at much different points in their careers. The 34-year-old Dadonov spent six seasons in Florida where he was quite productive putting up 202 points in 280 games before he signed with the Ottawa Senators as a free agent. He was traded three times in the span of a year before ending up in Dallas where he played quite well down the stretch.
28-year-old Domi on the other hand spent three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes where he posted 135 points in 222 games before he was dealt to Montreal, then the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Carolina Hurricanes. He signed a one year contract this past offseason with the Chicago Blackhawks before he was traded to Dallas at the deadline.
Yousuf writes in the article that Dallas general manager Jim Nill would love to have both players back, but cap space will likely be an issue. Dallas has just $7.4MM available for next season and based on the projections of Evolving Hockey Domi figures to get a contract around $4.4MM per year while Dadonov is projected to get $2.7MM. Those numbers would leave Nill with $300K to fill out two roster sports, not something that would be possible.
Yousuf sums up his article by saying that he expects Dadonov to be the likelier or the two to return to the club but doesn’t dive too deep into his logic. While cost is always a factor, Dadonov has struggled to fit in with previous clubs and really thrived under head coach Pete DeBoer. Given that close relationship between player and coach it is possible that Dadonov will select comfort level over money on his next contract. Especially after he was dealt four times during his previous deal.
Panthers need to be all over Domi. Would be a great 2nd line addition and will feed off Tkachuk’s lead.
Domi could help the Panthers, but I think defense will be the priority. They might have some extra money based off how long Ekblad, Tkachuk, and Montour are out.
Domi would be a good fit, but I think it all depends on the money. If he signs for 2-3M AAV, I think that makes sense. At 4+, I’m a lot more hesitant.
I agree with the previous fella about defencemen. Mahura played better than expected, but he really should be your 7th D, not a daily driver. Trouble is, looking at available UFAs, none of the names there are particularly appealing at the price of their expiring contracts.
Keep Dad, let Domi go, and look for replacement in house, such as Dellandrea or Johnston. Domi’s just gonna be too expensive.
I could totally see Domi going back to the Hawks on a similar deal that A.A. got. Probably even a little more. He’d help them get to the floor.
Plus, he’s already made it pretty evident that he would like to return.
I hope he resigns with the Hawks! He’s a great player and leader. The Hawks desperately need both and will be close to the cap floor.
“doesn’t dive too deep into his logic” is actually a very funny way to put it