Although the Minnesota Wild “certainly liked” having Vladimir Tarasenko on their roster this past season, it’s questionable whether the club will end up being able to sign him to a contract extension, Joe Smith of The Athletic reported today.
According to Smith, “the price would have to be right” for the Wild to sign Tarasenko to an extension, meaning below the $4.75MM cap hit on his previous deal. After a bounce-back season that saw him produce 23 goals and 47 points on a strong Wild team, Tarasenko may feel he will be able to earn more on the open market than Minnesota is prepared to offer him.
Smith also noted one key factor complicating negotiations between the Wild and Tarasenko: agents. Tarasenko is reportedly repped by both Pat Brisson of CAA and Paul Theofanous of TMI, part of a formal collaboration agreement by Theofanous and CAA signed in February. Smith reported that Theofanous “is taking the lead with Tarasenko’s next deal.”
That could make it harder to reach a deal with Minnesota, as Theofanous is the agent who represents the Wild’s franchise player, Kirill Kaprizov. According to Smith, the Wild got “squeezed into” the $17MM AAV mega-extension they signed with Kaprizov, and it’s Smith’s belief that the Wild are “unlikely [to] play ball” with Theofanous again this summer.
The Wild have numerous pending unrestricted free agents to consider signing, including Mats Zuccarello, Michael McCarron, Marcus Johansson, and Nick Foligno. The Wild may not have the cap room to retain everybody, and may prefer to sign a player like Johansson to an extension rather than Tarasenko. Johansson, 35, scored 15 goals and 49 points this past season and is repped by J.P. Barry of CAA. AFP Analytics projects Johansson’s next deal at one-year, $3.2MM and Tarasenko’s at one-year, $3.4MM.
Although the Wild appreciated Tarasenko’s efforts in his year with the team, especially his proactive work to help rookie Danila Yurov adjust to life in North America, Tarasenko will likely be able to receive more substantial offers on the open market than what Minnesota will likely be prepared to offer. Tarasenko himself said he “would love to return” to the Wild, but such a return may not be in the cards for a variety of reasons.
Beyond just the recent history between Tarasenko’s lead representative and the Wild’s front office, the state of upcoming free agency could simply be too favorable for Tarasenko to pass up on a chance to test the open market. Free agency is widely expected to be thin on talent, with few difference-making scorers set to be available.
While Tarasenko hasn’t produced at above a middle-six rate for two years, he does have exceptional pedigree as a former star scorer and a two-time Stanley Cup champion. With many teams set to have significant cap space available, and precious little high-end free agent talent on the market to spend it on, the conditions are optimal for Tarasenko to enter the open market and receive a (relatively) substantial contract.
For as much as the Wild appreciated having Tarasenko on their team, it’s unlikely they will be able to match the kind of contract he could receive in free agency. The team is expected to be aggressive this summer in procuring high-end talent to support their immediate efforts to win a Stanley Cup (while they still have franchise defenseman Quinn Hughes under contract) and will likely want to preserve as much cap space as possible for their chase for a No. 1 center. Among other factors, that could price Tarasenko out of the Twin Cities.
Photos courtesy of Nick Wosika-Imagn Images