Breaking NHL Trade: We Have A Goalie Trade As Tarasov On The Move

The Columbus Blue Jackets have moved on from goaltender Daniil Tarasov, trading him to the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.

We've acquired goaltender Daniil Tarasov from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for our fifth-round selection (160th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft.

📝 » https://t.co/mY77K319d1 pic.twitter.com/RJEs3NLxTi
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 26, 2025

The Blue Jackets receive a fifth-round pick in this weekend's NHL Draft in return.

Tarasov, a pending restricted free agent, will now serve as backup to Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida.

As noted by insider Greg Wyshynski, when he was with Columbus, current Panthers GM Bill Zito felt that the 6'5" Tarasov had the highest talent ceiling of any goalie in their system.

Tarasov was a third-round pick of the Jackets in 2017, with Zito the assistant GM at the time. The Russian netminder has gone 19-34-6 with an .898 save percentage and 3.44 goals against average in 65 appearances for Columbus over four seasons. This past year, he posted a 7-10-2 record, .881 save percentage and 3.54 goals against average.

As noted by Aaron Portzline, the chance to play with Russian goaltending legend Bobrovsky would be a dream come true for the young (26) Tarasov. Working out a new contract for the pending RFA shouldn't be an issue.