New Red Wings forward Vladimir Tarasenko celebrated his day with the Stanley Cup last week, and Cup-keeper Phil Pritchard Tweeted this on Sunday morning:
The smile says all! Vladimir Tarasenko hoists it high. 2 time #stanleycup champion. @nhl@FlaPanthers @HockeyHallFame pic.twitter.com/U4HDxNHGcn
— Philip Pritchard (@keeperofthecup) September 2, 2024
As such, Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff put a bow on Tarasenko’s time with the Panthers, noting that the Red Wings’ new #11 is coming to Detroit with every intent of making a Cup-sized dent in the playoffs:
“I feel like last year was very close,” Tarasenko assessed of the Red Wings 2023-24 season. “I’m not a person who just comes and hangs out, enjoy my time. I try to win. I really like winning, and we just won the second Cup.
“But I will do everything I can to help the organization to take the next step, help the guys, share my experience, just do my best to be able to make a playoffs. And once you make a playoffs, you never know what’s gonna happen.
“So that’s the reason I come, because, like I said, I like the way the team played, and I believe this team can make a playoffs and do some special things.”
I know that Tarasenko isn’t exactly the world’s best two-way player, and at 32, he’s not as fast as he once was, but he’s still a proven sniper, and he’s a stocky fellow at 6′ and 220 pounds. If he sustains the “chip on his shoulder,” and he plays in the Red Wings’ top 6, he’s going to be an asset for the Red Wings.
