The Red Wings aren’t getting the same Vladimir Tarasenko that the Russian forward was when he was 25, but the 32-year-old winger provides thick body at 6’1″ and 219 pounds, and he possesses a wee bit of a mean streak, as Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff notes:
“For sure,” Detroit GM Steve Yzerman said, acknowledging the uniqueness of Tarasenko on his club’s roster. “A left-shot winger, a bigger body, a different-type player than our other wingers like Lucas (Raymond), Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat. He’s a scorer, a straight-ahead guy who’s big and strong and will go to the net. We feel it’s a really good addition.”
There are different methods through which a bigger player can utilize their body to bring successful outcomes on the ice. Tarasenko isn’t a Brendan Shanhan type. He’s not going to be banging bodies, dropping the mitts and collecting Gordie Howe hat-tricks.
Nor is he James van Riemsdyk. Tarasenko won’t be camping out at the net front, tipping home pucks and knocking in rebounds.
His big game is more about maximizing his frame to get and maintain possession of the puck in the offensive zone.
“He’s obviously a skilled guy, a great shooter, but he works so hard,” said Kane, Tarasenko’s teammate with the New York Rangers in 2022-23. “He’s hard on pucks. He wins a lot of pucks back, and he’s got a great knack for getting open as well, so I think it’d be a good fit.”
