Free-Agent Vladimir Tarasenko Linked To 4 Teams
Vladimir Tarasenko is still without a contract for next season.
The free-agent forward has yet to sign on with another team and remains as one of the best options available for top-six production. Tarasenko isn't the player he once was as a St. Louis Blue, but last season with the Minnesota Wild, the Russian winger posted 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games, and another five points in 11 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
According to Julian Gaudio of The Hockey News, Tarasenko is a potential free-agent candidate for four teams:
The Buffalo Sabres are pushing hard to sign Patrick Kane, and according to multiple reports, Kane’s decision is coming down to either the Sabres or the Chicago Blackhawks. If they land Kane, they likely wouldn’t find much use for Tarasenko, but if they miss out, adding the 34-year-old to their lineup would be a big get.
The Sabres seem set on Kane, but they'll certainly need a fallback option if the future hall-of-famer decides to head back to the windy city and finish his career as a Blackhawk.
The Edmonton Oilers have been linked to Tarasenko throughout the off-season, and for good reason. The Oilers haven’t really made any additions to their forward group this summer, and they are still lacking middle-six scoring options.Tarasenko would likely thrive alongside a player like Leon Draisaitl. The two European forwards are both excellent shooters, but they also excel as passers. In the offensive zone, they could work plays to find each other in open space for shots on net.
The Oilers aren't done adding and Tarasenko certainly makes a level of sense for them at left wing. They'll be signing or trading for at least one more top-six forward before camps open in September.
The Tampa Bay Lightning watched Nick Paul and Oliver Bjorkstrand leave this off-season, and their depth scoring looks to have taken a hit because of it. They added Ilya Mikheyev and Jeffrey Viel, but those additions fill a different role than scoring. The Lightning struggled in the first round of the playoffs when their top players weren’t producing, and they’ll need depth scoring in the playoffs in a stacked Atlantic Division. Tarasenko would also boost the second power play unit, which currently lacks power-play specialists.
Tampa's missed out on Zach Werenski and have made a push to acquire Dylan Larkin this summer. It will be interesting to see what direction they head towards the end of the offseason.
The Utah Mammoth have shown that they are for real. Despite playing in a very difficult Central Division, they earned a playoff berth by locking down the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. They turned heads when they went toe-to-toe with the Vegas Golden Knights, but ultimately fell short. Despite that, the Mammoth didn’t just sit on their hands this off-season. They went out and traded for Vincent Trocheck, signed veteran winger Anders Lee, brought in Andrew Peeke for the third pair, and landed Sebastian Cossa, one of the NHL’s top goaltending prospects.
Of the four teams listed, which one do you think has the best shot at signing Tarasenko? Let us know in the comments.