2024 Report Card: Evgenii Dadonov is doing the best he can

Odd season, but the fire still burns.

One sentence summary

The middle six forward who became a fourth line plug, only to rise from the ashes and become one of Dallas’ unsung heroes when it mattered most.

A few good stats

• Cap: $2.25 million (Year 2 of 2)

• GP: 51

• Goals: 12

• Assists: 11

• Points: 23

• Postseason: 19 GP — 3 goals, 4 assists — 7 points

• xSPAR: .8 points in the standings (Rank: 16th on the team)

Don’t know what you’re looking at and need a filthy casual explainer? Click here to learn more about Evolving-Hockey’s Goals Above Replacement (GAR).

Analytically, Dadonov was a straight up oddball. Despite being pretty darn productive in a grinder role, he didn’t have a super high impact on shift to shift offense, while his defense is graded out highly.

Thematically appropriate highlight

Dadonov in the playoffs was, frankly, incredible. Of course, if you want to see him do something less heroic but far more magical, don’t forget about his Vegas goal.

Grade: (A straight) A

Admittedly I’m biased here. Players like Dadonov are what got me into chart hugging. What exactly do I learn by watching him? On the surface, his game doesn’t make any sense. He has speed in transition, but not out in the open. His shooting mechanics are good, but dormant. His playmaking reads are high-end, but his playmaking skillset is lacking. He can look like the worst of Mattias Janmark on one shift, and the best of Ales Hemsky the next; like Antoine Roussel on one shift, or Jason Spezza the next; a grinder who can’t grind and a playmaker who can’t make plays, yet somehow the twain can meet.

Peculiar players are my favorite, because they put the Eye Test to the test. But if there’s one thing we can agree on, it’s that he busted his rear off, and while his regular season looked like it was ready to ride right off the rails, the postseason changed the narrative in the blink of an eye, hence the straight A. In the playoffs he outscored Mason Marchment and Matt Duchene, and nearly outscored Roope Hintz.

Dadonov definitely had a prime (in Florida, thanks to time with Aleksander Barkov), but the bottom never fell out, even if he’s had every reason to decline further given his minutes and usage at this point in his career.

All in all, I’d call Dadonov’s season a pleasant surprise.

Of course, it didn’t start out that way.

Last season, Dadonov was the fixer. He got Ty Dellandrea off the third line with Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston, and seemed to get more out of them. This year, that chemistry — which Jim Nill and Co. were a little too exuberant to bank on — fizzled out pretty quick, and we broke down why in January with film.

You may be wondering why I’m not giving him a lesser grade despite getting demoted in the regular season. Two reasons: 1) going back to the film room analysis, Dadonov wasn’t really the problem. He wasn’t necessarily a solution, but his game wasn’t really dragging them down so much as the chemistry — or in this case, lack of communication — between Benn and Dadonov was. And so Dadonov became the understandable target. 2) He was Dallas’ 11th most-used forward, averaging 13 minutes a night, and played at a 36-point pace. That’s a hell of a performance for a fourth liner, and while I haven’t done the research, I’d imagine that’s up there for the historical record if we’re assessing fourth liners. Plus, context: he’s an old man in hockey years.

The other thing — and it’s something Ryan Suter severely lacked — is the right attitude about his place in the pecking order. Dadonov didn’t sulk. He didn’t complain. When he was healthy scratched, he took his lumps. And when he got demoted to the fourth line, rather than further decline, he got better.

It’s a testament to his game that despite being more on the skilled side of the spectrum, he can still fit in with players who don’t have any. (No offense Sam Steel, but definitely some to you Radek Faksa.) Don’t be surprised if Dadonov is able to chip in once more given his ability to defy the shooting gods.

I’m looking forward to what will surely be the fourth line to start the season of Colin Blackwell opposite Dadonov with Steel at center. For years, Blackwell has been an analytics darling, and he’s done it with quiet playmaking skills.

Don’t know what you’re looking at and need a filthy casual explainer? Click here to learn more Micah Blake McCurdy’s ‘Setting’ dataset.

The idea of Blackwell setting up Dadonov, who just needs someone to slip Dadonov’s stick some caffeine to get going, is not only intriguing, but actually kind of exciting. Not to sound off my rocker, but I really think this will be Dallas’ best fourth line…probably ever? Sounds silly, but good fourth lines are a recent phenomenon in hockey and Blackwell-Steel-Dadonov will have it all: playmaking, shooting, transition, defense. I kind of…can’t wait?

While his age will likely continue to show, I look forward to seeing him in victory green for one more run.