Minnesota Wild Acquire Vladimir Tarasenko from Red Wings

One day out from the kickoff of NHL free agency, and the Minnesota Wild have acquired another piece to bolster their lineup – going out and trading future considerations to the Detroit Red Wings in return for Vladimir Tarasenko.

Tarasenko will be heading into his 14th season in the NHL, kicking off his career in 2012-13 with the St. Louis Blues and having stops on the way with the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, the Red Wings and, now, the Wild. Over that time, he’s played in 831 regular season games with 304 goals and 662 points, including an 82-point season in 2021-22 with the Blues.

He’s a two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Blues in 2018-19 and the Panthers in 2023-24. As well, he’s played in four all-star games over his tenure in the NHL.

His production has slowed down slightly over the past couple of seasons, finishing with 11 goals and 33 points in 80 games last season with the Red Wings. That said, the 33-year-old winger can still add some more offensive production alongside the talented lineup in Minnesota and has a chance to have a bounce-back season alongside the likes of Matt Boldy and Kirill Kaprizov, amongst others.

As for Russian-born players, Tarasenko ranks 16th all-time in points and is fifth amongst active Russians in the NHL in that category. He’s also 12th in goals and 21st in games played amongst his countrymen. As for his NHL ranking, he’s 316th all-time in points and 49th amongst active players.

Tarasenko is entering the final year of a two-year contract with a cap hit of $4.75 million with the Red Wings not retaining any salary.