The Detroit Red Wings have signed winger Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year, $9.5MM contract. The deal carries a cap hit of $4.75MM.
Tarasenko continues his tour around the NHL with this deal, after interrupting an 11-career in St. Louis with a trade to the New York Rangers last season, where he got to play with close friend Artemi Panarin. Tarasenko scored 21 points in 31 regular season games with the Rangers, after posting 29 in his final 38 games with the Blues. He added four points in seven postseason games, before entering unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career.
Tarasenko took his talents to the Ottawa Senators with the freedom – signing a one-year, $5MM contract. He was a stout second-line scorer with the Senators, netting 17 goals and 41 points in 57 games. But with hopes of the playoffs dwindling, Ottawa traded Tarasenko to the Florida Panthers at the Trade Deadline, receiving a third-round pick in 2025 and 2026 in return.
The move to Florida gave Tarasenko yet another chance to chase the Stanley Cup, after lifting it with the Blues in 2019. He seemed determined to cease the opportunity, recording 14 points in 19 games during Florida’s smash end to the season. But Tarasenko struggled to maintain that scoring in the postseason, netting just nine points in 24 postseason games – though three of those points came in the seven-game Stanley Cup Finals against the Edmonton Oilers.
Despite a relatively unproductive postseason, Tarasenko has maintained his top-end scoring – after serving in a proud role on St. Louis’ top lines for over a decade. Originally the 16th-overall selection in the 2010 NHL Draft, Tarasenko made his NHL debut midway through the 2012-13 season, having already spent four years in Russia’s KHL despite being just 21. And much like his career in Russia, Tarasenko proved quickly productive in the NHL, recording 19 points in his first 38 NHL games and ranking 12th in Calder Trophy voting. He followed the performance with 21 goals and 43 points as a sophomore, before truly breaking out in year-three, with a dazzling 37 goals and 73 points in 77 games. Not to be outdone, Tarasenko followed it with 40 goals and 74 points the following year, then 39 goals and 75 points the year after that.
Those seasons still hold Tarasenko’s career-high in goals, though he managed a career-high in points in the 2021-22 season, his age-30 season, netting 82 across 75 games.
And while he’s slipped from his days of routine 30-goal, 70-point seasons – Tarasenko can still be relied upon for 20 goals and 50 points outside of a top line role. He’ll now bring that scoring upside to Detroit, where he’ll – ironically – serve as the replacement for former long-time teammate David Perron, who in turn filled Tarasenko’s role with the Ottawa Senators.
Tarasenko’s new role could also pair him across from former Rangers teammate Patrick Kane, who signed a one-year deal with the Wings ahead of free agency. The duo of veteran scorers will join Alex DeBrincat and presumably Lucas Raymond – though he remains unsigned – as Detroit’s top-six wingers this season.
As predicted and hinted at by exactly ZERO NHL “Insiders” lolol
But hinted at by Josh in his live chat, two hours before the signing!
So why do you continue to follow these insiders and run inventory control on their predictions and guesses?
So much for Vlad taking a Kulikov deal to stay near his home. $$$
Wow, now we’re talking. Yzerman making a big swing here to add to his top 6 forward base…definitely an upgrade from Perron for the same contract amount he paid last year
I think it’s safe to say nobody has any clue what Yzerman is going to do.
Let’s goooooo
Wish Ottawa would’ve done this deal over Perron
It’d presume Tarasenko had any interest in re-upping with Ottawa.
I think you wanted to say “seize the opportunity”
Cease the day! Outdo yourself!
Saved $3.5m dumping Walman, who was becoming a liability. A top six of Kane, Tarasenko, DeBrincat, Raymond, and Larkin means Detroit is scoring goals this year.
Hockey News on the Walman trade:
As much as Walman was a staple of Detroit’s blue line last season, his future with it was questionable. During his late-season injury absence, rookie defenseman Simon Edvinsson showed growth in his defensive game that caused Walman to slide down the depth chart. By the time he was healthy enough to return, he had slid to the third pairing. The Red Wings had surplus value in Walman, and they moved him.
Seniors discount for Wings wingers. Yzerman has a plan, it may not make sense or work (see last years goaltending carousel) but he’s always doing something. Really needs to hit another home run in the draft but in the meantime will keep chasing that playoff dream. I don’t see it being successful tho.
Does anybody else feel like we’ve taken a step back? Is this roster really better than last years’ at this point?
This year has blue chip draftees coming up – Berggren, Edvinsson, Soderblom, Cossa, etc. – so the pressure to grab UFAs wasn’t so important. Keeping Kane was the same as signing a new UFA as he could have signed elsewhere. Tarasenko v. Perron and Talbot v. Reimer are upgrades and Gustafsson v. Gostisbehere is fairly even. SY likes a competitive AHL team so a bunch of the signings were just for that. Rasmussen, Chariot, Maatta, Edvinsson, Soderblom, and Fischer can protect the skill players, so Detroit has some physicality.
Suddenly Detroit is a place big names like Tarasenko and Kane are considering as a viable play off contender: one single point, that is, one tied game, one goal, kept Detroit from the playoffs. The keeping of Kane and Fischer, getting Tarasenko and Talbot, and bringing up Edvinsson and Soderblom are a step to the better.
Let’s face it. You know Stevie preferred Stamkos and/or Marchessault because they can play center. But Tarasenko is still a nice fall back option and offensive upgrade over Perron and/or Fabbri. And Jonatan Berggren is an upgrade as well. He’s too good for the AHL. He’s got nothing to prove in the AHL.
The amount of stupid penalties that both Fabbri and Perron took was frustrating as a fan. Lazy penaltiess.
Can’t wait for some of these young forwards to develop into a high impact goal scorer or two
Just getting a little impatient but I still like the position we are in.