Last week, Vladimir Tarasenko was rather coy about his mindset heading into the NHL trade deadline.
Tarasenko — who confirmed he recently switched agents to be represented by Craig Oster — declined to say whether he’d had any conversations with Ottawa Senators general manager Steve Staios about his future with the Senators.
“It’s a question you guys will have to ask (management),” Tarasenko said. “I like to keep it behind the doors.”
The Senators inked Tarasenko to a one-year, $5 million contract last summer, hoping he could provide a veteran, offensive punch to their roster. And by all accounts, Tarasenko has enjoyed his time in Ottawa. He has spoken glowingly about the community and his teammates.
He’s on pace for a campaign in the neighbourhood of 24 goals and 60 points, which is certainly a decent season for a 32-year-old winger who isn’t exactly getting prime looks on Ottawa’s first-unit power play. And on the surface, Tarasenko says he’s open to discussing a contract extension that would keep him in Ottawa beyond this season.
“When the talks start, of course we’re going to look at all options,” Tarasenko said. “Like I said, you guys are trying to find something. And there is nothing.”
But if we’re being realistic, Tarasenko represents a prime trade chip for Staios as he closes in on his first trade deadline as a general manager. And if Tarasenko wants to parlay a strong finish into a new contract this summer, his best odds of accomplishing that would be if he landed with a playoff contender.
The Senators, however, are stapled to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, trending toward a seventh straight season of missing the playoffs. Consecutive regulation losses to the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks last week should extinguish even the slightest embers of playoff hopes in Ottawa.
The Senators are hanging around bottom feeders and are ahead of only the Columbus Blue Jackets, Anaheim, San Jose Sharks and Chicago in the standings. And none of those teams has a trade chip quite like Tarasenko, a six-time 30-goal scorer with a Stanley Cup ring on an expiring contract. In many ways, he represents the prototypical rental piece ahead of the March 8 trade deadline.
In looking at Chris Johnston’s most recent trade board for The Athletic, Tarasenko finds himself within a fairly thin group of wingers who are pending UFAs this summer. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Jake Guentzel will likely fetch the biggest return if he’s traded, but his injury status could make things a bit murky leading into the trade deadline.
Pending UFA winger market
Player | Cap Hit | Age | Season Stats |
---|---|---|---|
$6M | 29 | 50 GP: 22g-30a-52pts | |
$5.7M | 29 | 49 GP: 17g-11a-28pts | |
$5.5M | 33 | 50 GP: 10g-20a-30pts | |
$5M | 32 | 49 GP: 14g-22a-36pts | |
$5M | 33 | 40 GP: 10g-5a-15pts | |
$4.5M | 34 | 52 GP: 8g-10a-18pts | |
$3.2M | 27 | 47 GP: 4g-11a-15 pts | |
$3M | 28 | 49 GP: 11g-8a-19pts | |
$2.75M | 27 | 51 GP: 10g-16a-26pts | |
$2.625M | 27 | 21 GP: 2g-4a-6pts | |
$2.5M | 29 | 34 GP: 3g-6a-9pts | |
$2.5M | 28 | 47 GP: 9g-3a-12pts |
Where is Tarasenko’s game at this season?
With 36 points in 49 games, Tarasenko is on pace to end the season just under the 60-point mark. It’s a pace that is just ahead of last year’s, even when accounting for all situation minutes played.
But there are key elements to the winger’s game that have dropped off, which might raise a red flag for an acquiring team. The most glaring is with what was the most lethal part of his game: his shot.
Tarasenko’s shot volume has taken a huge hit this season. It isn’t just that he is far removed from his peak years — by about 10 attempts per 60 minutes of play — but from recent seasons as well. Not only is he shooting the puck less, but also a lower percentage of those attempts are going on goal. Tarasenko’s shot quality has also declined in all situations.
The fact he is playing less power-play time (under 40 percent of the available minutes) likely has something to do with it. But those dips in his shooting exist at five-on-five, too, where…
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