Rumblings on the twitterverse earlier today are suggesting former Florida Panthers winger Evgenii Dadonov will sign a contract in the KHL.
And as per Russian press Dadonov is close to sign with #Traktor of the #KHL #Canes
— AlessandroSerenRosso (@AlexSerenRosso) May 30, 2012
Hopes were high for the 23 year old Russian coming off a productive (albeit short) rookie season in which he garnered 17 points (8G/9A) in 36 games, but after not making the cut in training camp with a healthy roster in Sunrise to start the year, things went downhill for the former third round pick. Though he put up good numbers with the San Antonio Rampage before being called up in mid-November, Dadonov didn’t have the same jump with Florida that made him the Panthers(mandatory) All-Star in 2011.
On January 18th Dadonov and prospect A.J. Jenks were traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for AHLer Jon Matsumoto and European prospect Mattias Lindstrom after requesting a trade. In 35 games played for the Hurricanes AHL affiliate Charlotte Checkers, Dadonov put up 19 points (3G/16A) while in San Antonio Matsumoto helped push the Rampage to the Calder Cup Playoffs with 26 points (10G/16A) in 35 games along with 13 points (4G/9A) in 10 games during the postseason.
So what significance is this now? For one thing, be careful getting your hopes up for prospects not considered top notch, or even for top prospects because you simply never know how they’ll pan out. Dadonov was given a spot in 10-11 thanks to injuries and a shallow depth chart, and though he produced well in his 36 games a callup player can’t expect to coast into a permanent roster spot. Even with Tallon’s major summer overhaul Dadonov was expected to hold a spot on the third line, yet circumstances found him in San Antonio and four months later asking for a trade. The two takeaways from this player’s progression? Competition is a good thing and Mike Santos knows what he’s doing with the farm team.