Senators sign skilled winger Dadonov to three-year deal

By Mike Vlasveld

The Ottawa Senators have signed veteran winger Evgenii Dadonov to a three-year, $15 million contract.

The contract pays Dadonov $3.5-million 2020-21, $5-million in 2021-22 and $6.5-million in 2022-23.

A three-time 25 goal-scorer with the Florida Panthers, Dadonov ranked fourth among Panthers with 47 points (25 goals, 22 assists) while skating in each of Florida’s 69 regular-season games in 2019-20. His 25 markers last season saw him rank second among Panthers’ goal scorers while his career-best 11 power-play tallies tied for the team lead. The 11 power-play goals also helped him tie an NHL career-high with 17 power-play points.

“We're thrilled to have come to an agreement with Evgenii,” said Senators general manager Pierre Dorion in a statement. “He's an elite offensive talent and a very consistent scorer as demonstrated by his point totals over the last three seasons. This is a key signing for us as it adds a player who will help us produce offensively and one with a proven track record on the power-play.” 

A native of Chelyabinsk, Russia, Dadonov appeared in all but eight of the Panthers’ 233 regular-season games dating to the start of the 2017-18 campaign, a span over which he ranked third among Panthers in scoring with 182 points (81 goals, 101 assists). 

Drafted by Florida with the team’s third-round selection (71st overall) in the 2007 NHL Draft, Dadonov is one of only 17 all-time Panthers with 200 points for the franchise and one of only three of those players to have appeared in fewer than 300 games with the team.  

Over 281 career NHL games, Dadonov has recorded 202 points (91 goals, 111 assists) and 42 penalty minutes. Internationally, he has represented his native Russia on several occasions and was a gold medal recipient at the 2007 WJC-U18 in Finland and at the 2014 IIHF World Championship in Belarus. 

— With files from Sportsnet.

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