Vladimir Tarasenko joins Minnesota wild, marking fifth team since 2023

01 Jul 2025 00:15
01 Jul 2025 00:17

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Vladimir Tarasenko joins Minnesota wild, marking fifth team since 2023

Photo: nhlpa.com

Veteran winger and two-time Stanley Cup champion Vladimir Tarasenko has been traded by the Detroit Red Wings to the Minnesota Wild.

This marks Tarasenko’s fifth team since 2023, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.

Tarasenko was a free agent signing last summer when he agreed to a two-year contract with the Red Wings worth $4.75 million annually. His lone season in Detroit saw him finish with 11 goals and 33 points in 80 games while logging 14:46 in ice time. The goals and points totals were the lowest he has recorded in a season in which he played more than 64 games.

Minnesota hopes he can be closer to the player he was in the 2023-24 season, when he scored 23 goals and 55 points while with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers. Tarasenko helped the Panthers win the first of their two straight Stanley Cups.

The Wild entered the offseason in need of more goals. They finished with the fewest goals of any team that reached the playoffs, then fell in the first round to the Vegas Golden Knights in a series that saw the Wild lose three consecutive one-goal games, including two in overtime.

The Wild will have $12.961 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia's projection, when the free agency window officially opens Tuesday. The team is expected to consider adding another forward.

As for the Red Wings, moving on from Tarasenko gives them $23.161 million in cap space in an offseason in which they've already traded for goaltender John Gibson. Detroit is seeking to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

News.Az