Last summer, the Detroit Red Wings signed Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract carrying a $4.75 million AAV. From the moment it was signed, there was a bit of a sense that neither party’s first choice had been this union.
Tarasenko had reportedly desired to remain a Florida Panther, with whom he captured the Stanley Cup as a trade deadline acquisition, but couldn’t agree to terms on a new deal. Meanwhile, the Red Wings were linked to names like Steven Stamkos and Jacob Trouba, but those swings did not come to fruition. Instead, Tarasenko and Detroit found a mutual fit.
Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images
However, 53 games into Tarasenko’s tenure as a Red Wing, it’s difficult to classify his fit and performance as anything other than underwhelming. He has seven goals and 15 assists. I don’t think anybody expect Tarasenko to bring his 30-goal, much less 40-goal, form to Detroit, but pacing for 11 goals on the season is an unequivocal disappointment.
Now, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is reporting that the Red Wings may be looking to move the Russian winger ahead of the trade deadline next month. On the “Saturday Headlines” segment with Ron McLean, Friedman said:
“So this one is a little bit of a surprise. Vladimir Tarasenko is in the first year of two in Detroit, and he’s got a no trade clause this year, but I’ve heard there’s been some noise around him. The Red Wings have gotten much better. They’re in the race. A lot of their players have started to play better, but it’s kind of struggled to be a fit. He scored today…I just heard, Ron, that in his particular case, there’s been some conversation around him and we’ll see how it all develops.”
On the one hand, the reasons why Detroit might be ready to move on from Tarasenko, and for similar reasons, Tarasenko himself may very well be after a fresh start (and therefore willing to waive his no trade clause).
What is harder to conceive of is why a team would look at Tarasenko and wish to bring him in, not just for the forthcoming playoff push but for another season after at that $4.75 million AAV. Perhaps a team may believe it could put Tarasenko in better positions to succeed and he was a valuable piece for Florida during last spring’s Cup run. Nonetheless, it’s hard to see what team would be
If Detroit does deal Tarasenko, it would be interesting to see whether the Red Wings then sought to add a veteran winger as a replacement or simply offered a longer runway to some of their Grand Rapids Griffins call-ups.
At the end of the day, I would be surprised if Detroit can find a trade destination for Tarasenko at the deadline (though that’s not to say it’s impossible). However, he does look like an enticing candidate for a buy out come the summer. The Red Wings could buy out the second year of Tarasenko’s deal at the cost of just $1,583,333 against the cap each of the following two seasons (i.e. a $3,166,667 for next season). Assuming he isn’t dealt, that appears a reasonably likely outcome, considering Friedman is already reporting the Red Wings are looking for an off-ramp.
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