Montreal Canadiens: Evgenii Dadonov could be headed out the door

The Montreal Canadiens may be without forward Evgenii Dadonov sooner than later. The numbers are not in Dadonov’s favor, and as he has continued to miss time, there may be a departure coming if the Habs opt to waive the forward.

The latest scuttlebutt around Dadonov points to him missing time for “maintenance,” but he again missed the most recent maintenance game. As time keeps adding up and he continues to be a healthy scratch for the Montreal Canadiens, it’s easier to see him on his way out.

It was noted that a trade would be the best option, but that may not be the easiest to pull off at this moment. With more healthy scratches likely, it could mean the end of Dadonov’s time in the Habs sweater.

Montreal Canadiens forward Evgenii Dadonov could be departing.

So far this season, Dadonov has played in just eight games for the Habs. He has yet to register a point and is a minus-three when it comes to his plus-minus. The bottom line is that Dadonov has not been able to really fit in as well as many would hope.

With that in mind, trying to figure out the next move is going to be crucial. It seems like the Habs will want to keep their young kids together in Montreal with the way things have gone so far.

So that will leave Kent Hughes to start working the phones and see if maybe there is a trade out there he could pull off. After being acquired this summer when the Habs offloaded Shea Weber, he came to Montreal for the first time.

The 33-year-old six-year veteran has not reached the 50-point mark since the 2018-19 season, which is not ideal, to say the least. There was some thought that Dadonov would be able to tap into some offense and bring some scoring to the table on a team where the scoring would be hard to come by.

But Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki continue to corner the market for first-line production. The top line continues to find the back of the net. They’re getting it done, even if the scoring is a bit lopsided. For the Habs, it works.

On the other hand, there are some things that can be improved and worked on. Dadonov’s performance is one of those things. But, the veteran is on the books for $5 million for the 2022-23 season and will become a pending unrestricted free agent after.

The Habs may do something with the veteran forward sooner than later.