I do not at all enjoy making this kind of case, but it is one that needs to be made.
Last night, Evgenii Dadonov played his 19th game of the season in the place of the injured Arseny Gritsyuk. Why is this such a problem? Per Sheldon Keefe, Gritsyuk is considered week-to-week. That means that, unless the team calls someone up from Utica, Evgenii Dadonov will play 20 or more games this season. When Dadonov signed with the New Jersey Devils, he signed a bonus-laden contract that would have paid him up to $3.25
million in total. $1 million is set as his base salary, while the performance bonuses account for $2.25 million. Per PuckPedia, here is that breakdown:
$250K PB at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 GP; $300K for playoffs + 40 GP; $300K winning round 1; $200K winning round 2; $100K winning east; $100K for winning cup — must play 50% GP each round for bonus
With the Devils well over the $95.5 million cap ceiling this year, the Devils have already incurred a $250,000 penalty on their cap for next season from Dadonov’s contract. The moment he steps on the ice in a Devils uniform again, that turns to a $500,000 penalty. Regardless of how much I respect Evgenii Dadonov as a player, there are only two scenarios in which I would be willing, if I were in Tom Fitzgerald’s position, to let him ride as the third line left wing:
- If the Devils were in a playoff spot or within immediate striking distance of one
- If Evgenii Dadonov was a productive player for the team this season
Unfortunately, the 37-32-2 Devils are 10 points out of the Wild Card and 11 points out of the Metropolitan Division. With 11 games to play, it would likely require winning every remaining game to make the playoffs, and even that might not do it. Further, Evgenii Dadonov has contributed zero points in 19 games played this season, averaging 10:58 of ice time per game played. By comparison, AHL fill-ins Angus Crookshank and Brian Halonen each have a goal in eight and nine games played, respectively, averaging 8:36 and 7:30 of ice time per game played.
You might say, hey! The third line looked pretty good last night with Dadonov at left wing! I would disagree, though, that Dadonov was essential for that success. With all three of Dadonov, Cody Glass, and Lenni Hameenaho on the ice, the Devils outshot Nashville 4-0 and had a 0.26—0.01 expected goals advantage. But when Dadonov skated with other lines, his expected goals percentage dropped to under 30.00%. Without Cody Glass, he had a 26.21 xGF%. Without Lenni Hameenaho on the ice, Dadonov had an 8.65 xGF%. At his age, Dadonov does not have the grit to play a fourth line game, and he has lost too many steps on offense to hang around with Jack Hughes and Connor Brown.
I would not expect Angus Crookshank to be a world-beater, by any means, but he has actually been on the scoresheet in less than half of the ice time played. Furthermore, he is only 26 years old, and Dadonov is almost certainly not in the future plans for these Devils. The fourth line only allowed one goal against when Crookshank was on the ice earlier this season (which is impressive if you recall how leaky the Glendening-led fourth line was), and Crookshank showed plenty of energy and aggressiveness out there, especially when he shared the ice with Xavier Parent.
Parent is currently tied with Brian Halonen atop the scoring leaderboard for the Utica Comets with 32 points in 53 games (Halonen has played 45 games for Utica). Angus Crookshank is sitting at 30 points in 51 games. All three have scored 19 goals, sharing the team lead. One of the three, I would argue, should get a chance at wing as long as Arseny Gritsyuk is out, and they would only have to travel to Carolina for tomorrow’s game. Unfortunately for Halonen, the two players already on the third line are Cody Glass and Lenni Hameenaho, who both have right-shots. That would probably leave it to the lefties, and I would pick the senior Crookshank for one last good audition at the end of the season.
Would it work? I liked how Crookshank skated on a previously-dreadful fourth line, and he would have a much more talented center in Cody Glass to work with at this point of the season. Glass has shown himself to be capable of carrying lines this season, not even missing a beat last night with the very-talented and fast Arseny Gritsyuk out of the lineup. I would rather give that line another guy with some edge and more speed than Dadonov still has in his legs, which would be a more natural fit than a perimeter guy like Dadonov who is mostly just a cog for moving the puck at this point, without much scoring threat left in his hands. Crookshank will forecheck, he will go to the net, and he can keep up with the speed that the New Jersey Devils have been trying to achieve since the Olympic break.
Maybe that changes over the offseason, and I hope Dadonov doesn’t go out like this, but the injuries have been too much for him and he has shown no signs of turning it around in a Devils sweater. It’s time to face facts and make sure that players like Simon Nemec have another $250,000 to work with in contract talks this offseason. For a potential longer-term extension like Nemec, an additional $250,000 in bonus overage penalty doesn’t just impact him next season, it impacts what he could possibly be offered over the next several years with the NHL’s annual average value system for cap hits. It is simply not worth it.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of the conundrum the Devils face? Should they let Dadonov try to work it out and incur an extra bonus penalty, or should they give a chance to a younger player? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
