Evgenii Dadonov Suffers Hand Fracture, Placed on Injured Reserve

The New Jersey Devils confirmed that forward Evgenii Dadonov suffered a hand fracture during the team’s season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday, October 9, 2025. The injury occurred late in the game when Dadonov took a puck off his glove. He played only two shifts in the third period before leaving the ice and did not return.

Initial X-rays taken after the game were negative, but follow-up imaging later revealed the fracture. The Devils announced that Dadonov will miss the remainder of the team’s three-game road trip and will be evaluated again after returning to New Jersey. Team reporter Amanda Stein confirmed that Dadonov will not be available until after those evaluations take place.

Evgenii Dadonov went for further imaging on his hand and it was discovered he does have a fracture. He will be out for the remainder of the #NJDevils trip and will be evaluated when we get back to NJ.

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) October 11, 2025

Before the injury, Dadonov had been skating on the top line with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. The combination developed strong chemistry during training camp and into the preseason. In the season opener, that line played six minutes together at five-on-five and produced the team’s only high-danger scoring chance in that span, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The Carolina Hurricanes controlled about 60 percent of overall scoring chances and high-danger chances in the game. Even though the Devils lost, the Dadonov–Hughes–Bratt line was noted as one of their more effective units during even-strength play.

On Friday, October 10, the Devils officially placed Dadonov on Injured Reserve (IR). In a corresponding move, the team recalled forward Brian Halonen from the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL). Halonen, 26, appeared in two games with New Jersey during the 2023–24 season. He spent most of that season with Utica, where he scored 27 goals, led the team in that category, recorded 40 total points, and finished with a plus-9 rating.

After Dadonov’s injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe altered the forward lines. Ondrej Palat was moved onto the top line with Hughes and Bratt. Palat had played on that line for much of the previous season. Arseny Gritsyuk, who had been starting the season as the fourth-line right wing, was moved to the third-line left wing position with Cody Glass and Connor Brown. Zack MacEwen was added to the fourth line with Paul Cotter and Luke Glendening.

The Devils’ second game of the season was against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, October 11, 2025, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Ahead of that game, sportsbooks listed Tampa Bay as the favorite. FanDuel had the Lightning at -146 and the Devils at +122 on the moneyline with a total of 6.5 goals. Covers reported similar odds, showing New Jersey at +128 with totals between 6 and 6.5 goals. Bleacher Nation listed Tampa Bay at -150 and projected a Lightning win.

Despite being the underdog, the Devils defeated Tampa Bay 5–3, improving their record to 1–1–0 on the season.

The Devils completed their road trip on Monday, October 13, 2025, with a 3–2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The team finished the trip with a 2–1 record.

Following these results, futures and betting odds remained largely stable but showed some tightening in certain markets. BetMGM listed the Devils at +1400 to win the Stanley Cup, a shift from their +1800 opening line earlier in the month. DraftKings had posted the Devils at +1300 before the season began. These numbers placed New Jersey in the second tier of contenders behind top teams such as Edmonton, Vegas, and Carolina, which ranged from +800 to +1100.

For player awards, Jack Hughes was listed at +3000 to win the Hart Trophy (Most Valuable Player) on BetMGM, and between +2700 and +3300 on FanDuel and DraftKings, positioning him within the top ten candidates early in the season.

The Devils’ home opener is scheduled for Thursday, October 16, 2025, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.