The New Jersey Devils announced that forward Evgenii Dadonov was placed on injured reserve (IR) after suffering a hand injury during their season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Dadonov played just 9:32 on Thursday night, recording two shots on goal before exiting the game in the third period. After blocking a shot with his hand, he was left unable to hold his stick. Following further medical imaging, it was confirmed that he sustained a hand fracture. As a result, the Devils were down to just 11 forwards, without an extra skater on hand for the road trip.
#NEWS: We have placed F Evgenii Dadonov (hand) on injured reserve.
We have recalled F Brian Halonen from Utica (AHL). pic.twitter.com/Y7BFpDbOsm— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 12, 2025
He was absent from the lineup in Saturday night’s matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, with Ondrej Palat taking his place alongside Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. The team confirmed that Dadonov would be unavailable for the remainder of the Devils’ road trip, requiring further evaluation once the club returns to New Jersey.
In his stead, the Devils have recalled forward Brian Halonen from the American Hockey League (AHL). Halonen spent the majority of last season with the Utica Comets, where he recorded 27 goals and 13 assists in 62 games. He was also called up for two NHL matchups in 2024-25, where he averaged 13:54 ice time and recorded two shots on goal.
Without Dadonov on the bench, the Devils will miss a significant piece of their depth scoring. There is currently no timeline for his return, but hopefully, the veteran leader will not be kept out of the lineup for long.
