Vladimir Tarasenko Drawing Interest From Surprising Team
Per Artur Khairullin of Sport-Express, KHL club Ak Bars Kazan is expressing interest in signing several available NHL players, hoping to add offense ahead of the 2026-27 season. Tarasenko is one of three names Khairullin specifically flagged, alongside Evander Kane and Evgenii Dadonov.
Three Very Different Situations
Kane just passed 1,000 career games played, but after a disappointing season with the Vancouver Canucks, there hasn't been much visible interest in his services from NHL teams, a reality shaped as much by his play as by a career that's included public feuds with teammates and off-ice controversy.
Vladimir Tarasenko “Forsberg”Highlights pic.twitter.com/EQXZoH53n1
— Hockey Performances (@PerformancesNHL) August 7, 2026
Dadonov's situation is the most dire of the group. He scored just a single goal in 24 appearances last season, numbers that have teams wondering if his NHL career is simply over.
Tarasenko sits in a different category entirely. After dealing with injuries that clouded his outlook a few years back, he bounced back with a strong 23-goal, 47-point season for the Minnesota Wild in 2025-26, adding five more points in 11 playoff games.
That makes his continued availability more than a month into free agency very surprising.
Why He's Still On The Board
The Wild connection hasn't fully closed. There's been persistent talk about a Tarasenko reunion in Minnesota, though nothing has been finalized.
Beyond that, he's been repeatedly linked to a long list of NHL suitors throughout the summer, including the Edmonton Oilers, Ottawa Senators, and, more recently, the Montreal Canadiens, whose insiders floated him this month as a fit for their middle six. Buffalo and Chicago were also mentioned earlier in the offseason as fallback options depending on where Patrick Kane ultimately signed.
None of that interest has translated into a contract yet, and Tarasenko also switched agents this summer, hiring Dan Milstein, a move widely read at the time as a sign he intended to test the full market rather than simply re-sign with Minnesota.
For a 34-year-old two-time Stanley Cup champion, an NHL deal likely still nets more money and a better shot at another championship. But every week that passes without an offer that meets his expectations makes a guaranteed contract overseas a more realistic fallback.
