Vladimir Tarasenko may not be the perennial 30-goal scorer he was in his prime, but he is someone the Montreal Canadiens should definitely consider. During the peak seasons of his career, Tarasenko was a game-changer. He could create goals out of nothing and was incredibly difficult to move off the puck. Shoulder injuries have slowed him down over the last couple of seasons, but he is still a reliable goalscorer that you could move up and down the lineup. The Canadiens are looking to bolster their top six, with constant links to Columbus Blue Jackets’ Kirill Marchenko, but if they cannot facilitate a trade, Tarasenko could be a good fallback option.
Tarasenko’s bounce-back season with the Minnesota Wild
At his peak, Tarasenko would dazzle fans with his combination of speed and puck-handling, resulting in goals that would be replayed on highlight reels. During his decade-long tenure with the St. Louis Blues, you could pencil in Tarasenko for 30 goals a season. He dealt with shoulder injuries that kept him out of the lineup for a better part of two seasons, but returned for the 2021-22 season, recording 34 goals in 75 games. Tarasenko has not been the same player since leaving the Blues, but can still be a reliable depth scorer. In the 2023-24 season, Tarasenko recorded 23 goals and 32 assists in 76 games split between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, helping the latter win the Stanley Cup. He parlayed the success he had that season into a two-year $9.50 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.
Tarasenko was brought in to bolster the Red Wings' top six, which already included Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Larkin, and Patrick Kane. His tenure did not go as planned. Tarasenko had the worst statistical season of his career, recording just 11 goals and 22 assists in 80 games. It looked like the beginning of the end for Tarasenko, with the Red Wings moving him to the Minnesota Wild for “future considerations.” It turns out Tarasenko still had more left in the tank. He responded with a 23-goal, 47-point season, playing in 75 games. He proved he can still be an effective player, and with Free Agent Frenzy having come and gone, Tarasenko being on the market should intrigue the Canadiens.
Another option to use in the Canadiens top-six
Ideally, the Canadiens add a player through trade who fits a top-six role, but if they can not, there is no better option in free agency than Tarasenko. He would not exactly fix the problem the Canadiens have, but would present them with another player whom they can try out in that role. When the Canadiens traded for Zachary Bolduc last season, the vision likely was that, over the course of last year, he could have blossomed into someone who could fill that void. After a hot start to last season, where he scored in the first three games of the season, he added just nine more after that. It is way too soon to give up on Bolduc, and he could very well start next season in the Canadiens' top six, but if he falters, having a six-time 30-goal scorer to fall back on would not be such a bad thing.
It is clear Tarasenko is not a first-line winger anymore, but he would still add some desperately needed depth scoring, which the Canadiens struggled with at times last season. Last season, Tarasenko’s time was split between the second and third line, while being on the Wild’s second power play unit, which is exactly what he would be with the Canadiens. At this point in the offseason, you are not getting a top-six winger without making a trade. Unless the Canadiens want to run it back with nearly the same team, adding a player who could fix your depth scoring issues while giving you an extra option to throw onto your top two lines might be the best move left available.
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