Per the Detroit Red Wings:
RED WINGS SIGN VLADIMIR TARASENKO TO TWO-YEAR CONTRACT
… Two-Time Stanley Cup Champion Has Recorded 629 Points in 751 Games Since 2012-13 …
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed forward Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $4.75 million.
Tarasenko, 32, split the 2023-24 season between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, recording 41 points (17-24-41), a plus-13 rating and 12 penalty minutes in 57 games with the Senators before tallying 14 points (6-8-14) in 19 regular-season games with the Panthers. The 6-foot-1, 219-pound forward helped the Panthers win their first Stanley Cup championship, logging nine points (5-4-9) in 24 postseason contests. Tarasenko played the 2022-23 season with the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers, collecting 29 points (10-19-29) and eight penalty minutes in 38 games with the Blues, along with 21 points (8-13-21) in 31 regular-season games for the Rangers. He captured a Stanley Cup title with St. Louis in 2019, finishing with 17 points (11-6-17) in 26 playoff matchups. Tarasenko has been selected to four NHL All-Star Games, including three consecutive appearances from 2015-17. Additionally, Tarasenko was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team in 2014-15 and 2015-16, and was a finalist for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy in 2016-17.
Originally selected by St. Louis in the first round (16th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, Tarasenko played in parts of 11 seasons with the Blues from 2012-23 and ranks among the franchise’s all-time leaders with 262 goals (5th), 291 assists (7th), 553 points (5th), 65 power play goals (6th), 154 power play points (10th), 10 overtime goals (1st), 44 game-winning goals (3rd) and 2,058 shots (4th) in 644 games. He also places among the Blues’ top playoff performers with 90 games played (5th), 41 goals (2nd), 60 points (3rd), 13 power play goals (T2nd), 23 power play points (5th), six game-winning goals (T2nd) and 281 shots (3rd). In all, Tarasenko has compiled 629 points (293-336-629) and 197 penalty minutes in 751 NHL games with the Blues, Rangers, Senators and Panthers, reaching the 30-goal mark six times and the 70-point mark four times.
A native of Yaroslavl, Russia, Tarasenko played in parts of two seasons with SKA St. Petersburg in the Kontinental Hockey League prior to arriving in North America, totaling 41 points (19-22-41), a plus-22 rating and eight penalty minutes in 46 games from 2011-13. He was selected to the KHL All-Star Game in 2012 and 2013, but did not play in the 2013 edition. Tarasenko made his professional debut in the KHL with Sibir Novosibirsk, accumulating 91 points (47-44-91), a plus-24 rating and 43 penalty minutes in 161 games from 2008-12. On the international stage, Tarasenko has played for Russia at three IIHF World Championships (2011, 2015, 2021), earning a silver medal at the 2015 tournament. He also competed at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, netting two goals in four appearances. Tarasenko represented his country at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, dishing out one assist in five games. He skated in back-to-back IIHF World Junior Championships in 2010 and 2011, captaining Russia to a gold medal in 2011 after registering 11 points (4-7-11) and a plus-eight rating in seven games. Tarasenko also claimed a silver medal at the 2009 IIHF World Under-18 Championship and was named to the tournament’s All-Star Team after racking up 15 points (8-7-15), a plus-seven rating and six penalty minutes in seven games.
I like it. If he stays healthy, would much rather have him over Perron for basically the same contract. Four years younger, much better skater and has a better shot.
Hopefully the Ekblad rumors are true…