Vladimir Tarasenko: a strangely quiet case

Last spring, the Rangers decided to do what Stanley Cup-winning clubs never do: shake up the top of the pyramid at the trade deadline by snapping up two stars.

Picking up Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane and adding them to the core along the way disrupts the existing hierarchy. Instead of adding complements, the Rangers paid top dollar for two guys who were never able to fully adapt to their new formation.

No wonder the club didn’t last long in the playoffs… and that’s not unusual: a star needs time to adapt.

What’s even more ironic is that these two guys, as talented as they are, still don’t have a contract after almost three weeks since the fall market opened.

As you can see from the text in La Presse, there are still some interesting names available on July 19 for teams looking for players on the autonomous market – including the two former Rangers.

Of course, in Kane’s case, we know it’s a matter of circumstance. His injury means he wants to wait before signing with a new NHL team. He’ll heal up first.

But Tarasenko’s case is more dubious.

After all, Tarasenko has been the talk of the town in recent weeks, but without ever signing a contract. It’s as if he were a free agent in the MLB, not the NHL.

You’ll also remember that Tarasenko changed agents, but since Pat Brisson has been representing him, we haven’t heard much about the Russian. In fact, at the moment, things are going very slowly.

He was supposed to sign with the Senators at some point… but he hasn’t. At one point, it seemed imminent.

One wonders, of course, if the fact that Alex DeBrincat has been traded (leaving some wiggle room on the salary front) doesn’t change the fact that he doesn’t really want to go to Ottawa. It makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

Because in reality, everything points to it being a question of money. The clubs interested in him have problems with the cap.

Could the Hurricanes, if they drop Erik Karlsson, get their hands on the Russian as was expected at some point? I don’t think it’s an impossible scenario, let’s face it.

The feeling I have? Pat Brisson will recommend a one-year contract to his client. And in a year’s time, he’ll have an easier time lining him up for a medium-term contract in an NHL where the salary cap will be rising.

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