Golden Knights’ Evgenii Dadonov Trade Vetoed by NHL

The agreed deadline day trade between Vegas and Anaheim that would have sent Golden Knights forward Evgenii Dadonov to the Ducks has been vetoed by the NHL.

This was one of the more bizarre things that has happened in the league in recent memory. With just minutes to spare in the trade deadline, it was announced that the Golden Knights were sending Dadonov and a conditional second-round pick to the Ducks in exchange for John Moore and the contract of retired forward Ryan Kesler. However, due to the Ducks being one of Dadonov’s teams on his 10-team no trade list, the Evgenii Dadonov trade was vetoed by the league.

There was much confusion around this, with some believing the Golden Knights were aware of Dadonov’s list and simply chose to ignore it in an attempt to free up cap room. That isn’t believed to be the case, however, as reports have suggested the blame falls on the Ottawa Senators, who didn’t properly file Dadonov’s 10-team no trade list to the Golden Knights when they moved him there this past offseason.

The vetoed trade is quite awkward for Evgenii Dadonov, who is expected to be back in the Golden Knights lineup on Thursday night when they take on the Nashville Predators. One has to wonder what his desire is to play for a team that tried to move him for little to no assets in return, as Moore has spent nearly the entire 2021-22 season in the American Hockey League.