Vladimir Tarasenko was traded to the Florida Panthers by the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a third-round choice in the 2025 NHL Draft.
If the Panthers win the Stanley Cup, they will transfer their third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft in lieu of the 2024 selection.
Tarasenko signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Senators, who will retain 50 percent of his salary, on July 27 and can become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
"I guess with the position we're in and 'Vlady' becoming a UFA, it was prudent for us to be able to look around and make a move to gain some assets moving forward," Senators general manager Steve Staios said. "I'm happy with the return. I'm happy that Vlady gets to go home, and his family had been there the entire year, so he gets to play on a very good team and have an opportunity and he's close to home again."
The 32-year-old forward has 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 57 games this season for Ottawa (25-32-3).
"That's part of our business," Senators coach Jacques Martin said before Ottawa's 2-1 loss at the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday. "He was in the last year of his contract. He was having a pretty good season for us when you look at his stats, the number of goals he scored, his plus/minus, being a reliable player. It gives an opportunity to some other young player that's going to have to fill that void."
Tarasenko joins a team that already had seven double-digit goal-scorers, led by Sam Reinhart (45), Carter Verhaeghe (30) and Matthew Tkachuk (21). He also owns a home in South Florida.
"I don't think about it," Tarasenko said Feb. 12 regarding trade speculation. "I think about the game tomorrow, I think about things today. You know, if you focus on the past and the future too much, you just lose the present time, lose excitement, and being stressed out every time. I may think about it sometimes, yeah, but mostly try to set it away and prepare for the coming games."
