The Minnesota Wild’s summer plans will ramp up in the coming weeks and that includes some big decisions on their pending free agents. While Michael McCarron cashed in as the Wild’s top free-agent priority, others haven’t been as fortunate including winger Vladimir Tarasenko.
Tarasenko is ready to hit the market after a revival season in Minnesota and he joins a shallow free agent class that could bring in some surprising contracts. According to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, Tarasenko could be the recipient of one of those deals and his analysis of the situation suggests the 34-year-old could be on his way to a new team when free agency begins on July 1.
“Tarasenko was a decently productive player for the Wild this past season, especially given how little power-play time he got,” LeBrun wrote. “He had a tough start to the season but got hot in March and April. There are still a lot of moving parts in Minnesota, so Tarasenko staying put is not completely out of the question. But the likeliest outcome is that he goes to market.”
Vladimir Tarasenko likely to create another hole for Wild to fill this offseason
If some team gives Tarasenko a big deal, he’ll have successfully rehabbed his value from where it was one year ago. Acquired from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for future considerations, Tarasenko scored 23 goals and recorded 47 points in 75 games. He also turned up his game as the season rolled along, scoring eight goals with eight assists after the Olympic break (24 games) and netting a pair of goals and five points during the Wild’s 11-game playoff run.
That performance could convince the Wild to bring Tarasenko back, especially after the departure of Marcus Johansson and Mats Zuccarello, a fellow pending free agent. But as LeBrun mentioned there are a lot of factors up in the air.
The first is the pursuit of a top-line center. Puckpedia projects the Wild to have $9.4 million of cap space heading into the offseason and money will have to be cleared to make improvements. Even if the Wild pivot from Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings to a cheaper option like Vincent Trocheck of the New York Rangers, they also need significant help on the wings – especially if Zuccarello doesn’t return.
The other factor is the state of the free agent market. LeBrun noted that only eight pending unrestricted free agents scored more than 20 goals last season and that list got smaller when Alex Ovechkin said he “probably [would] not” play for another team than the Washington Capitals. Next week’s NHL Draft could be another piece of the puzzle as teams look to hit the trade market instead of overpaying for talent, but LeBrun added “Some teams will strikeout on the trade market and come circling back to these UFAs to find their offensive upgrade.”
Like many of the Wild’s top-six options, the decision on Tarasenko could come down to price. If he returns, it would likely be at a team-friendly price. But that may not happen as he looks to secure what could be his last big contract. If the latter happens, the Wild will have another hole to fill and another layer of difficulty to an important offseason.
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