The Atlantic division was the toughest in the NHL last season, and this off-season, it only got better. From top to bottom, teams in the Atlantic improved, especially those dwelling in the basement, such as the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, and Detroit Red Wings. All three teams took great strides this off-season to possibly put themselves in the wild-card conversation this season or for years to come.
The Montreal Canadiens were one of the most active teams this off-season as they made moves to help with their rebuild. This includes a recent surprising move last week as they took on Sean Monahan from the Calgary Flames in a salary dump that allowed the flames to sign UFA Nazem Kadri.
Nothing should come as a surprise as Canadiens’ General Manager, Kent Hughes, has a definite plan in mind. After trading away, Shea Weber’s long-term injury reserve contract to the Vegas Golden Knights for forward Evgenii Dadonov.
Before Dadonov even suits up for the Habs, he could soon be on the move as his name is starting to swirl around trade rumors. Marco D’amico of Montreal Hockey reports that Hughes is already looking to trade the 33-year-old before the start of the season. It is clear the Habs are looking to get younger and build for the future, which Dadonov does not fit into with his age.
Coming off a season with the Vegas Golden Knights that saw him record 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 points in 78 games, there will be a contender looking for his rental services; if not now, definitely at the trade deadline.
In his career, he has scored 124 goals and 141 assists for 265 points across 413 games. Dadonov has also shown his ability to be consistent as he has four 20-goal-plus seasons to his name, including three consecutive during his days as a Florida Panther.
Dadonov is currently in the final year of a deal paying him $5 million per season. While we don’t know where Dadonov will be traded, we do know it likely won’t be to the Anaheim Ducks.
