Devils place Evgeny Dadonov on IR, recall Brian Halonen – Hockey Writer – New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils announced that forward Evgeny Dadonov suffered a hand injury in the season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes and was placed on injured reserve (IR).
Dadonov played just 9 minutes and 32 seconds Thursday night, taking two field goals in the third period before exiting the game. After blocking a shot with his hand, he was unable to hold the stick. After further medical examination, it was confirmed that he suffered a fracture in his hand. As a result, the Devils are down to 11 forwards and don’t have an extra skater available for road games.
#information: We have placed F Evgenii Dadonov (hand) on injured reserve.
We recalled F Brian Halonen from Utica (AHL). pic.twitter.com/Y7BFpDbOsm— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) October 12, 2025
He missed Saturday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning and was replaced by Ondrej Palat along with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. The team confirmed Dadonov will be unavailable for the remainder of the Devils’ road trip, subject to further evaluation upon the club’s return to New Jersey.
The Devils recalled forward Brian Halonen from the American Hockey League (AHL). Halonen spent most of last season with the Utica Comets, scoring 27 goals and 13 assists in 62 games. He was also called up for two NHL games in the 2024-25 season, averaging 13:54 per game and recording two shots on goal.
Without Dadonov on the bench, the Devils will miss out on a significant part of their depth scoring. There is currently no timetable for his return, but hopefully the veteran leader won’t be left out of the lineup for long.
