During the decade-plus he spent with the Blues, fans at Xcel Energy Center didn’t care much for Vladimir Tarasenko. The crafty Russian forward was a thorn in the Wild’s side during countless Central Division meetings, and in a few trips to the playoffs when Minnesota and St. Louis met head-to-head.
It’s likely that Wild fans will take more of a liking to Tarasenko, when he arrives wearing green and red. On Monday, the Wild acquired Tarasenko, 33, from Detroit for future considerations.
Since leaving the Blues — with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2019 — Tarasenko has bounced from the Rangers to the Senators to the Panthers to the Red Wings, and has a season remaining on a two-year pact he signed in Detroit last summer. He won his second Stanley Cup in Florida in 2024.
Last season with the Red Wings, Tarasenko played 80 games with 11 goals and 22 assists. After starting the season in Russia because of the NHL lockout, he made his North American pro debut in St. Louis in 2013 and had his best regular season in 2015-16, scoring 40 goals as the Blues advanced to the Western Conference Final.
With the addition of Tarasenko’s $4.75 million salary cap hit, the Wild are left with a little under $13 million in cap space heading into Tuesday’s opening day of free agency, which may limit their pursuit of a few of the higher-priced players available on the open market.
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