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Vladimir Tarasenko

East Notes: Tarasenko, Tomek, Bruins

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With the Senators being nowhere close to a playoff spot, pending UFA winger Vladimir Tarasenko sits atop their list of trade chips.  However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch notes that there is some talk that the 32-year-old might prefer to finish the year in Ottawa.  Tarasenko can control his fate as he has a full no-move clause.  Sticking with them might allow Tarasenko to play a bit higher in the lineup which certainly doesn’t hurt from a negotiating perspective but at the same time, the potential to go deep in the playoffs and contribute could also help his case for securing a multi-year deal on the open market, something he wasn’t able to do last July, instead settling for a one-year, $5MM pact.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • Flyers goalie prospect Matej Tomek has signed a one-year extension with Litvinov of the Czech Extraliga, per a team release. The 26-year-old was a third-round pick (90th overall) back in 2015 but struggled in limited college action, resulting in him heading back overseas in 2019.  Since then, Tomek has spent time in both Slovakia and Czechia.  This season, he has a 3.00 GAA and a .911 SV% in 31 games with Litvinov.  The Flyers hold his rights indefinitely so this extension won’t have any impact on that front.
  • A day after recalling defenseman Ian Mitchell and assigning Justin Brazeau to the minors, the Bruins reversed those moves, per the AHL’s transactions log. Brazeau scored in his NHL debut back on Monday after his AHL deal was converted to a two-year NHL pact.  Mitchell, meanwhile, has been shuffled back and forth several times this season.  He has two assists in 13 NHL games so far while adding 14 points in 22 games with Providence.

Atlantic Notes: Tarasenko, Power, Fabbri, Shattenkirk, Richard

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Senators winger Vladimir Tarasenko said Monday that he’s “open to all options” ahead of the March 8 trade deadline, including remaining with the team (via Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch).

The 32-year-old remained unsigned weeks into free agency last summer after failing to secure a longer-term deal, leading him to make a rare agent change just days after July 1. He eventually inked a one-year, $5MM deal with Ottawa on July 27 with a full no-trade clause.

That clause leaves him in full control of his destiny over the next few weeks. Tarasenko would not confirm Monday if his representation has had conversations with the Senators’ front office about an extension or about waiving the clause.

One would assume if a trade to a contender materializes, assuming it’s an offer Ottawa is willing to accept, Tarasenko would approve the move and spend the next few months hunting for his second Stanley Cup. The 2010 first-round pick notched 11 goals and 17 points in 26 playoff games en route to a championship with the Blues in 2019.

Tarasenko has played good hockey for the Senators this year after an understandably slow start in a new environment, rebounding to post 14 goals (fourth on the team) and 34 points (fifth on the team) in 46 games. He’s currently playing a third-line role at even strength alongside Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto, helping mentor a pair of projected future core pieces in Ottawa. He should net at least a second-round pick should the Senators receive interest from a team Tarasenko is willing to accept a trade to, but he still has value to the team if they choose to keep him around and risk letting him walk to free agency this summer.

Other updates from the Atlantic Division:

  • Sabres sophomore defenseman Owen Power left practice with an apparent hand injury on Monday and is undergoing additional imaging, head coach Don Granato said (via Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News). Power’s status for Tuesday’s game against the Kings is now uncertain. The 2021 first-overall pick has seen his point production drop after last season’s third-place Calder Trophy finish, notching two goals and 18 points in 51 games this year, but he’s made up for it by making major strides defensively. He’s been on the ice for 0.74 expected goals against per game at even strength compared to 1.05 last season, per Hockey Reference, all the while seeing a tad more defensive-zone usage than he did in 2022-23. Averaging 22:28 per game, those minutes will be hard for the Sabres to replace if he’s gone for any length of time, especially with Mattias Samuelsson already done for the season after undergoing upper-body surgery. If Power can’t play Tuesday, rookie Ryan Johnson could slide into a top-four role alongside Connor Clifton, while depth defender Jacob Bryson could play for only the sixth time this season.
  • Red Wings left winger Robby Fabbri won’t play Tuesday against the Oilers due to personal reasons, according to head coach Derek Lalonde (via Ansar Khan of MLive.com). He is expected to rejoin the team on their road trip before their game in Vancouver on Thursday. The 28-year-old missed significant time early in the season with a lower-body injury but has rebounded to be an important bottom-six contributor for Detroit, posting 13 goals and 21 points in 39 games while logging 13:27 per game. Depth forward Klim Kostin will draw back into the lineup against his former team tomorrow after he was scratched for Saturday’s overtime win over the Canucks.
  • Bruins defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was absent from Monday’s practice due to illness, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reports. Shattenkirk, 35, has slipped down the Bruins’ depth chart lately, serving as a healthy scratch in four out of their last seven games in favor of 26-year-old farmhand Parker Wotherspoon. The 2007 first-round pick signed a one-year, $1.05MM deal to join Boston in free agency, and he’s provided some solid two-way play in bottom-pairing minutes with 13 points and a 1.1% relative Corsi share at even strength in 42 games.
  • The Bruins also summoned winger Anthony Richard from AHL Providence after sending him down early Monday morning, per the NHL’s media site. The 27-year-old skated on the third line in this morning’s practice and could play his second straight game when the Bruins host the Lightning on Tuesday. The 27-year-old is second on Providence in scoring with 19 goals and 19 assists for 38 points in 41 games.

Atlantic Notes: Newhook, Robertson, Tarasenko

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The Canadiens are expected to activate forward Alex Newhook off injured reserve on Saturday, paving the way for him to return against Dallas, relays Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette.  The 23-year-old has missed nearly two and a half months with an ankle injury but had gotten off to a decent start to his first year in Montreal before that, recording 13 points in 23 games.  While Newhook has spent a lot of time on the wing in his career, he’ll likely play at center more frequently down the stretch following the recent Sean Monahan trade.  The Canadiens opened up a roster spot to activate Newhook earlier today when they returned Lucas Condotta to AHL Laval.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic Division:

  • Nicholas Robertson has popped up in recent trade chatter and the Maple Leafs are believed to be willing to move the winger, reports The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta. The 22-year-old has managed to stay healthy this season, resulting in him playing in a career-best 31 games where he has seven goals and seven assists.  However, Robertson hasn’t been able to lock down a full-time spot in Toronto’s lineup.  Considering his offensive success at the lower levels, it stands to reason that several rebuilding teams would have some interest in seeing if Robertson can take a step forward with a new organization.
  • While many expect the Senators to move pending UFA winger Vladimir Tarasenko before next month’s trade deadline, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli notes that it’s not a lock that Ottawa even wants to move him. The Sens are known to be looking to add quality veterans to help their younger core and have been impressed with how he has become a leading voice in their dressing room.  Tarasenko recently changed agents again; perhaps it was on the hopes of spurring along extension talks that have yet to begin at this point.

Oilers Targeting Top-Six Forward Help

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Goaltending has been the central theme for trade speculation around the Oilers this season after their netminders got off to particularly rough starts.  However, things have settled down nicely since then with Stuart Skinner’s play improving considerably since their early-season coaching change and Calvin Pickard faring quite nicely in the backup role.

It appears that their performances have taken off some of the pressure of seeking another netminder.  Instead, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported in the latest TSN Insider Trading segment that GM Ken Holland has turned his focus toward adding a top-six forward.  More specifically, the goal would be to find someone better suited to play alongside Leon Draisaitl on the second line.

Speculatively, they may be looking to replace Warren Foegele on that trio.  The 27-year-old is well on his way toward having a career year offensively (he’s just four points away from matching his previous career high) but he’s a player who has spent most of his career in the bottom six.  Getting him back in that role would certainly deepen Edmonton’s lineup.

LeBrun mentioned a handful of players as possible targets, several of which will be dependent on how their current teams fare in their playoff push in the coming weeks.  The Oilers are quite familiar with Jordan Eberle; LeBrun suggests that the idea of bringing him back to Edmonton has grown in the front office recently.  Ottawa’s Vladimir Tarasenko (who has full trade protection) and Detroit’s Daniel Sprong and David Perron were also floated as possible targets if those respective teams sell by next month’s deadline.  All four players are on expiring contracts and with Edmonton’s long-term cap situation, it would make sense for them to be focusing on rental players if they do try to make a key addition up front.

However, cap space is somewhat limited for the Oilers at the moment.  Even with their current 21-man roster, Edmonton projects to have a little over $2.3MM in cap space at the trade deadline, per CapFriendly.  An injury or two would eat most of that flexibility up.  Sprong is the only one out of that group whose salary would fit into their existing space, even if there was the maximum 50% retention on the other three.

Accordingly, Edmonton may need to send out a roster player to help fit in any top-six acquisition on its salary cap.  Foegele, on an expiring deal himself, could very well be an option as could one of Brett Kulak or Cody Ceci, defensemen who are signed beyond this season (two more years for Kulak, one for Ceci); moving one of them would also open up a spot for Philip Broberg to return to the big club.

For a team with the top-end firepower that the Oilers have, they’re not even in the top ten in NHL scoring, sitting 12th in that regard heading into Thursday’s action.  Meanwhile, only two teams have allowed fewer goals than Edmonton has.  Accordingly, if they believe the structural and goaltending improvements are sustainable, looking to add some more offense may very well be the right approach for Holland to take over the next few weeks.

Afternoon Notes: Walker, Tarasenko, Rempal

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The Philadelphia Flyers are seeking a first-round pick for defenseman Sean Walker, per Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. Walker has been a trade candidate for much of the season, though not much has come out about what his asking price may be. The Flyers acquired Walker this summer as part of a three-team trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Los Angeles Kings. Philadelphia also acquired Calvin Petersen, Helge Grans, and three draft picks in the deal.

This season is Walker’s first away from the Kings and he’s made the most out of the change in scenery, with 18 points in 51 games this season already surpassing his point totals in each of the last three seasons. He is on an 82-game pace of 28 points, a mark that would break his previous career-high by four points. He’s spent much of the season on Philadelphia’s second pairing alongside Nick Seeler. But Philadelphia’s recent acquisition of Jamie Drysdale has put pressure on Walker’s top-four role. It seems the team is leaning into that shift, now testing the 29-year-old Walker’s value on the open market.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Ottawa Senators winger Vladimir Tarasenko has changed his agent again, now represented by Craig Oster of Newsport Sports. Newsport represents six other Senators, including Brady Tkachuk and Joshua Norris. This is the second time Tarasenko has changed agents in the last seven months, with his last change coming just before signing a one-year, $5MM contract with Ottawa. Tarasenko, 32, has been mentioned as a possible rental option with the trade deadline approaching. He has 13 goals and 33 points through 45 games this season while playing on Ottawa’s third line.
  • The Vegas Golden Knights have sent forward Sheldon Rempal back to the minor leagues. The 28-year-old was recalled on February 5th, serving as a healthy scratch for the team’s Sunday win over the Edmonton Oilers. Rempal played four NHL games earlier in the season, scoring two goals and recording one penalty. He’s also scored 20 goals and 31 points in 41 AHL games this season, leading the Henderson Silver Knights in goals.

Senators Notes: Trade Targets, Martin, Tarasenko

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Ottawa Senators president of hockey operations and general manager Steve Staios spoke with the media this morning to discuss a multitude of issues and concerns surrounding the franchise. In the mid-season update, Staios told the media that he has had a lot of discussions with other teams about potential trades and is looking to add players with leadership experience as well as complete 200-foot players.

The news isn’t that surprising given that the Senators don’t possess many players who have been part of a winning culture in the NHL. Outside of a couple of players, most of the Senators currently lineup have never played an NHL playoff game.

Staios’ desire to add complete players is also not surprising given that Ottawa has struggled to play a structured game over the past few seasons. While the offensive skill on the Senators is obvious, they don’t have a lot of defensively skilled forwards or defensemen and it’s been a glaring hole throughout their lineup for a few years now.

Staios mentioned that he would like to be active before the deadline but given most teams cap situation it is unlikely that the Senators will make many moves before the summer.

In other Ottawa notes:

  • Staios added that the Senators’ plan behind the bench is to have interim head coach Jacques Martin finish out the season. Martin hasn’t had a great start to his second run in Ottawa but did receive praise from Staios who said that Martin has laid a foundation for this group. Martin who has long been a good defensive coach, was seemingly brought into Ottawa to help the team find a defensive identity going forward. While the team didn’t see immediate improvement, they have shown signs of it lately with points in five of their last six games.
  • Staios also addressed the status of pending unrestricted free agent forward Vladimir Tarasenko. Staios said that he has not talked to the 32-year-old about a move, but he has been impressed with the former Stanley Cup winner. Tarasenko was signed last summer to a one-year $5MM contract and has been as advertised with 12 goals and 19 assists in 41 games. While he is no longer a perennial 30-goal scorer, he is still providing offense at five-on-five and is on pace for 24 goals.

Senators Notes: Tarasenko, Pinto, Joseph

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With the Senators underachieving considerably this season, they’ll likely be selling leading up to the March 8th trade deadline barring some kind of significant turnaround in the standings.  To that end, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch reports that the team is expected to approach veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko about waiving his no-trade clause before the deadline.  The 32-year-old inked a one-year, $5MM deal in late July after longer-term agreements that were more to his liking failed to materialize on the open market even after changing agents just days into free agency.  Tarasenko hasn’t lit it up with Ottawa but does have 24 points in 32 games and would add some secondary scoring to a contending squad.  The Sens would likely need to retain up to 50% in order to maximize the return when the time comes to move him.

More from Ottawa:

  • Garrioch notes in the same piece that while the original plan was for Shane Pinto to have a conditioning stint with AHL Belleville later this month when he’s eligible to return, that’s no longer the case. The 23-year-old is allowed to start skating with the team on Wednesday while his first eligible game back is January 21st, allowing for ample time for him to work on his conditioning and get up to speed before making his debut.  Ottawa still needs to sign Pinto but that will likely have to be a low-cost one-year deal given their salary cap situation.
  • In a separate piece from Garrioch, he notes that winger Mathieu Joseph has resumed skating as he works his way back from a lower-body injury. He was recently placed on LTIR to accommodate Thomas Chabot’s activation but that was a short-term solution as Joseph could return as soon as Tuesday.  If that happens, the Sens will need to do some roster juggling to get back into cap compliance.  Joseph was off to a strong start before suffering the injury last month, picking up 19 points in his first 25 games.

Injury Notes: Penguins, Wild, Tarasenko, Lyon, Sherwood

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After previous reporting indicated that the Pittsburgh Penguins could be welcoming back the trio of Rickard Rakell, Noel Acciari, and Chad Ruhwedel tonight, the team would later confirm all three would be in the lineup tonight, per a team announcement. Included in the same announcement, the team completed a corresponding move, sending forwards Jonathan Gruden and Marc Johnstone to their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The Penguins could certainly use the reinforcements, as the team is suffering through a 4-3-3 record in their last 10 games, falling to fifth in the Metropolitan Division, and are currently five points back of the last Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference as we approach the New Year. In their current stretch, besides their most recent game against the Toronto Maple Leafs two nights ago, each game’s goal differential has been between one and two goals, showing that with improved depth moving forward, Pittsburgh could turn things around rather quickly.

Rakell being the most important player back in this move, has been going through a bit of a down season, only scoring four points on the year, and failing to score any goals up to this point. Nevertheless, he has been a valuable addition to the Penguins forward core since coming over in a trade from the Anaheim Ducks, scoring 32 goals and 77 points in 118 regular season games for Pittsburgh.

Other notes:

  • On the opposite side of the ice in Pittsburgh this evening, the Minnesota Wild will be without two of their better players. Sarah McLellan of Star Tribune Sports reports that captain Jared Spurgeon did not end up traveling with the team due to a lower-body injury. Furthermore, shortly before warmups began for the game tonight, the team announced that forward Mats Zuccarello would not be in the lineup due to an upper-body injury.
  • After missing the last two games due to personal reasons, the Ottawa Senators should be welcoming back forward Vladimir Tarasenko tomorrow night as they take on the Arizona Coyotes (X Link). With some massive changes taking place in Ottawa over the last 24 hours, Tarasenko will look to improve on his already impressive start with the Senators, now in front of interim head coach, Jacques Martin.
  • In the Detroit Red Wings’ most recent game against the Philadelphia Flyers, goaltender Alex Lyon left the game in the second period, after going down awkwardly after making a save. Now, Ansar Khan of MLive is reporting that if he has not shown signs of recovery by Wednesday, Detroit will likely place Lyon on the injured reserve, leaving the net to Ville Husso and James Reimer.
  • Sustaining relatively good health as an organization throughout much of the year, the Nashville Predators will be welcoming back forward Kiefer Sherwood tomorrow night against the Vancouver Canucks (X Link). Amid a breakout season as far as his career standards say, Sherwood has provided solid depth scoring to the Nashville lineup this season, scoring five goals and 11 points in 29 games.

Senators Recall Angus Crookshank From AHL’s Belleville

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The Ottawa Senators have recalled winger Angus Crookshank from the AHL’s Belleville Senators. Crookshank has appeared in 24 games for the minor league club this season, scoring a team-high 10 goals and 21 points. This performance comes after Crookshank managed 26 goals and 47 points in 71 AHL games last season, good for fourth on Belleville in scoring.

This is the first call-up of the 23-year-old Crookshank’s career, which began after Ottawa drafted the forward in the fifth round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Crookshank went on to play in three seasons with the University of New Hampshire, totaling 90 games and 63 points with the school. He turned pro following the conclusion of New Hampshire’s 2020-21 season, finishing the year with 16 points in 19 AHL games. But despite the hot start to his professional career, Crookshank was forced out of the entire 2021-22 season after undergoing surgery on his knee. He’s returned strong for the Belleville Senators, though, and earned his first shot at an NHL debut as a result.

Ottawa is currently facing a string of forward injuries, missing both Mathieu Joseph and Rourke Chartier for their Sunday game against the Vegas Golden Knights. The team is also uncertain when Vladimir Tarasenko will return, with the top scorer questionable for Sunday.

The Senators also recalled forward Jiri Smejkal in response to their list of injuries. Smejkal recently appeared in his first two career NHL games, going without a point in either contest. The 27-year-old is in his first NHL season after seven years in various top leagues across Europe. Ottawa will need to turn to an extra forward – likely Smejkal – with Rourke and Chartier out. But if Tarasenko also misses Sunday’s matchup, Crookshank could find himself primed for his first NHL game.

Vladimir Tarasenko Had Offers From Hurricanes, Sharks

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2:40 p.m.: Strickland has modified his initial report, now claiming the Hurricanes’ highest offer to Tarasenko was under $4MM on a one-year deal. The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford also reported late last night that the Florida Panthers had submitted an offer for Tarasenko, which Strickland mentioned likely wasn’t a “competitive offer.”

1:50 p.m.: While star sniper Vladimir Tarasenko did find a home in free agency, it was far from a smooth process. Before signing a one-year, $5MM contract with the Ottawa Senators Thursday night, the 2019 Stanley Cup champion changed his representation early in July after not landing a deal when the UFA market opened on July 1. Shortly before that, multiple reports suggested Tarasenko was close to reaching a pact with the Carolina Hurricanes. Evidently, it didn’t come to fruition.

Despite his goal-scoring pedigree, the lack of widespread interest in Tarasenko made sense. He’s still incredibly skilled, but his ability to drive play is diminishing as he enters his 30s. He’s also had two major shoulder injuries in the past four years. His goal-scoring production also trailed off significantly last season, failing to score 20 goals in a full season for the first time in his career. It appears the Hurricanes, Sens, and San Jose Sharks all made firm contract offers to Tarasenko during his free agency period, though, as Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest reports today.

The Hurricanes and Sharks both made one-year pitches to Tarasenko at $5.25MM and $6MM respectively, Strickland said. Ottawa had also pitched a longer-term offer to Tarasenko at the beginning of free agency, coming in at four years and $22MM (a $5.5MM average annual value). With over $60MM in estimated career earnings to date, per CapFriendly, it’s understandable why Tarasenko would hesitate to commit long-term to a team that’s failed to exit their rebuild stage in earnest.

However, it appears Tarasenko also lost money on a short-term agreement by waiting to sign with the Sens. He’s at a stage in his career where winning is the highest priority, so the basement-dwelling Sharks were likely never in consideration unless they made a truly extravagant offer. He did lose out on $250K by not signing with the Canes, though, a mistake likely caused by waiting out for a better deal. It’s fair to assume Carolina’s offer to Tarasenko was made before they signed defenseman Anthony DeAngelo to a one-year, $1.675MM contract, using up most of their remaining cap space in the process.

In not signing with Carolina, Tarasenko arguably lost out on the best marriage of finances and team competitiveness. There are still many moving parts, including trade rumors surrounding their pending UFA defenseman Brett Pesce and San Jose Sharks star defender Erik Karlsson. Still, the team remains among the favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup in 2024, thanks to a strong returning core and a pair of major UFA pickups in Dmitry Orlov and Michael Bunting.

That’s not to say Ottawa is a bad final fit for the Russian winger. The team does still have playoff aspirations for next season, and a strong rebound campaign from Tarasenko could certainly help lift them to their first postseason appearance since 2017. Even if the injury bug strikes the Sens again or they fall out of playoff contention, a strong individual campaign from Tarasenko alongside a star-studded top-six that includes Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stützle, Joshua Norris, and Claude Giroux could earn him a more lucrative contract next offseason on a contending team. It’s an option made more palatable for Tarasenko by a relatively sharp expected rise in the salary cap’s Upper Limit compared to recent seasons.

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