Senators ship Dadonov to Golden Knights for Holden, draft pick

After trading the face of the franchise, this is the move?

The Vegas Golden Knights have dipped straight into the cap space created through the trade of Marc-Andre Fleury, acquiring forward Evgenii Dadonov from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Nick Holden and a third-round draft pick.

Dadonov had a highly disappointing debut year for the rebuilding Senators after signing a three-year, $15-million contract in free agency last offseason. Managing 13 goals and 20 points in 53 games inside the Senators top six, it seemed very much like Dadonov's impressive production with the Florida Panthers before arriving in Ottawa was tied to his surroundings, and the ability to skate alongside star center Aleksander Barkov.

Goal scoring has been a major issue in recent seasons for Vegas — or at least in the postseason. Their ability to break through against strong defense and goaltending has held them back from returning to the Stanley Cup Final despite routinely knocking on the door.

Dadonov will have better players to play with in Vegas, but the Senators made strides from an individual standpoint last season, and it didn't seem to benefit Dadonov.

Holden is a reasonably useful piece for the Senators to slot into their defensive structure after dealing from the depths of that position last season.

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