Dadonov Wins It In Overtime for Golden Knights, Making Decision Difficult

It was already going to be hard to decide what to do with Evgenii Dadonov after he was returned to the Vegas Golden Knights following a trade that was reversed by NHL Central Registry. The forward was sent to the Anaheim Ducks as a cap-clearing move, but since coming back has two goals in two games, one of which came in overtime on Saturday to cap off a massive comeback against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Related: Why the NHL Investigated Dadonov Trade Between Golden Knights and Ducks

It was a must-win for Vegas who finds themselves farther and farther out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The team is clearly trying to find answers amidst a rash of injuries and some less-than-lucky results. The fans are stressed, the franchise is stressed and Dadonov said he was stressed, noting, “It was a stressful couple days but I think we should stop talking about it. All I’m focused on is making this push for the playoffs.”

COMEBACK COMPLETE ✅

Evgenii Dadonov rips home this @SUBWAYCanada OT winner to give the @GoldenKnights the much needed extra point. 👏 pic.twitter.com/g05uYq5LZA

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 26, 2022

Scoring the fourth goal after the Golden Knights were down 3-0 and winning it in overtime is a great way to quiet some of the noise surrounding his trade. It won’t eliminate all the talk, but if he keeps scoring, the Golden Knights might try to find another way to clear the cap space they need to be salary compliant, if and when players start getting healthy and are ready to come back into the lineup. It’s already happening as this game marked the return of two-time Stanley Cup champion Alec Martinez for Vegas. He missed 53 games with a severe facial laceration.

Dadonov Making the Golden Knights Look Silly

As bad as Vegas might have already looked by not knowing there was a no-trade clause in Dodonov’s contract, he’s starting the make the franchise look silly for the trade being attempted in the first place and perhaps lucky it didn’t go through. If he continues to be hot, the team is going to need his production just to get into this year’s postseason.

Next: NHL GMs to Talk Limits On LTIR Playoff Flexibility Moving Forward