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Panthers right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (10) is congratulated by teammates Sam Bennett (9) and Anton Lundell after he scored during the first period of Game 2 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Lightning on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Sunrise, Fla.
Former Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko makes his permanent home in South Florida these days. He bought a $5 million home on the ocean, then won a second Stanley Cup while toiling for the Florida Panthers.
But his hockey home shifts to Motown after he signed a two-year, $9.5 million deal with the Detroit Red Wings. He joins an offensive cast that includes Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, Lucas Raymond and Patrick Kane, his longtime Blackhawks rival who re-upped in the Motor City on a one-year deal.
Why did the Red Wings sign Tarasenko?
“He's a left-shot winger with a bigger body, a little different type of player than our wingers,” Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said. “He's a bigger body to fill out that top-six or top-nine group with a straight-ahead guy who is big and strong and will go to the net.”
To make room for Vladdy under the salary cap, the Detroit Red Wings had to offload some of his former teammates.
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The Red Wings spent a second-round pick to send defenseman Jake Walman and his contract to the San Jose Sharks. They let winger David Perron depart for Ottawa as a free agent, then they sent winger Robby Fabbri and his $4 million cap hit to the Sharks.
Like the players always say, it’s a business. Maybe Tarasenko can rent a house from one of those departing players.
Writing for ESPN.com, Ryan S. Clark assessed the signing:
Tarasenko was attractive given his ability to play a top-six role, and it appears that's the part he will play for the Red Wings . . .
DeBrincat is a six-time 20-goal scorer with three seasons of more than 30 goals; he scored 27 goals in 2023-24 for a consecutive season. Kane is a future Hall of Famer who had 20 goals and 47 points in 50 games, while Raymond had the strongest season of his career, with 31 goals and 72 points.
Adding Tarasenko, who scored 23 goals between his time with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, gives them another option in an offseason that saw them lose David Perron in free agency. Altogether, the Red Wings look to have one of the more formidable top-six winger situations as they seek to climb back into the playoffs after an eight-year hiatus . . .
The Red Wings had 13 players who finished with more than 10 goals during the 2023-24 season; however, they lost three of those players this offseason. Perron and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere left in free agency while Jake Walman was traded to the San Jose Sharks.
It left an opening for a proven goal scorer for a team just barely missed the playoffs. So who better to call, or sign, than a two-time Stanley Cup winner who not only gives the Red Wings another top-six option but adds another figure to a power play that was ninth in the NHL with a 23.1% success rate?
As for the actual contract itself, giving him two years at $4.75 million AAV is the type of deal that provides a sense of comfort for Red Wings. It's a pact that's long enough to build continuity, but not too long that it's an inescapable deal in the event he struggles to find consistency.
The Red Wings had been very patient while executing their Yzer-plan, but then they decided to sink big dollars into a couple of older forwards and an older goaltender (Cam Talbot) to move things forward.
Might that money have been better spent on prime-age players? Sure, but apparently Yzerman is tired of missing the playoffs.
Here is what else folks have been writing about hockey:
Mark Lazerus, The Athletic: “Tarasenko is an upgrade over Fabbri, so it’s a better allocation of resources. But this isn’t the same Tarasenko who posted six 30-goal seasons with the St Louis Blues, a hyper-active wrecking ball and underrated playmaker. At 32, he’s clearly lost a step in terms of speed, he’s largely disinterested on the forecheck, and he’s basically given up on the idea of playing defense. By the time his run with the Blues ended, opponents were scoring nearly five goals per 60 minutes with Tarasenko on the ice. But the shot is always the last thing to go, and Tarasenko’s still got a really good one — whether it’s a one-timer from the circle or off the rush, where he’s always excelled. His shooting percentage between Ottawa and Florida this season was 14.8 percent, the second-highest of his career, as he scored 23 goals in 76 games, adding five more in the Panthers’ Stanley Cup run. That’s higher than his career average of 12.9 percent, but it’s in the same general ballpark — with that shot, he’s always been a player that out-performs the metrics. At least, offensively. His strong play in the Eastern Conference final and Stanley Cup Final probably earned him the second year of this contract after only managing to get a one-year deal out of Ottawa last summer.”
Ryan Dixon, Sportsnet: “Losing a lot in service of a proper rebuild is a painful process, so kudos to the San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks for applying a bit of a balm in the form of capable veterans. Tyler Toffoli, Alexander Wennberg and Barclay Goodrow have joined the fold in Northern California, while Chicago really leaned into improving by inking forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, veteran D-men Alec Martinez and T.J. Brodie and a goalie, in Laurent Brossoit, who has a .915 save percentage in 72 games over the past three seasons and may be ready for a true net share with Petr Mrazek. The longest of any of the new contracts signed by Chicago is Bertuzzi’s four years, meaning GM Kyle Davidson did little to mess with the club’s long-term cap situation.”
Adam Proteau, The Hockey News: “The former Arizona Coyotes' hockey assets were already an up-and-coming group entering this summer, and Utah GM Bill Armstrong made some excellent additions where the team needed it most – on defense. Trading for former Tampa Bay star D-man Mikhail Sergachev was a home run for Armstrong, and Utah’s back end got deeper and better by acquiring John Marino in a trade and Ian Cole in free agency. Utah’s collection of forwards was pretty much left alone, but considering how young and talented those forwards are, that’s an understandable commitment to the present and future. In an improved Central Division, Utah should start to set its sights on a playoff appearance, even if Armstrong said at the draft it’s hard to predict making it that far. They’re clearly improved, and now it’s about the expectation that comes along with it, and the drive and determination to leave behind their struggles.”
Scott Maxwell, Daily Faceoff: “Four years ago, the Montreal Canadiens gave Joel Edmundson almost the same deal as he got this summer (to which it was panned quite severely off the hop), and outside of a solid first season where he primarily played alongside Jeff Petry or Shea Weber, he never lived up to it. And the Kings just decided they should do it again! It was insane to do it then when he just wasn’t that good of a defenseman, so it’s even crazier to do it now when he’s 31 years old. I got to watch Edmundson a bit more when he played for the Leafs, and while many Leafs fans said he was good, I don’t think anyone ever gave me a legitimate reason as to why they thought he was good. He’s not effective defensively, including on the penalty kill, and he can’t move the puck up the ice. He’s basically getting paid to be a big body, and there are a lot of defensemen who can do that just as well that aren’t being paid this much money. Add in the fact that he’s serving as their replacement for Matt Roy, and this is a tough one to justify for Los Angeles, especially when they have the cap space to pay up the extra $2 million.”
Ryan Lambert, EP Rinkside: “One of the big mistakes I felt like Seattle made early on was that they gave too many pretty good players too much term and/or dollars. (Brandon) Montour is a pretty good defenseman and, surprise! This (seven-year, $50 million) contract touches both those issues once again. I don't love the AAV here in particular, and I guess that's how free agency works, but the term could also be a big problem when this team is actually ready to turn all those nice prospects into a real team.”
MEGAPHONE
“Though I am honored to be the first, I don't want to be the only, and I honestly don't feel like I'm the only in this organization. That's also a very special feeling to be part of the Seattle Kraken organization and the staff and to stand by all the other remarkable women in this this League that are maybe not behind the benches. But there's a long list of incredible women that are doing phenomenal jobs, here in management, scouting, player development. I'm just excited to do my part now behind the bench.”
New Seattle Kraken assistant coach Jessica Campbell, on crashing through the NHL’s gender barrier.