Tarasenko signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Senators on July 27, who will retain 50 percent of his salary and become an unrestricted free agent after the season. The 32-year-old forward has 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 57 games this season and joins a team that has already had seven double-digit scorers, led by Sam Reinhart (45), Carter Verhaeghe (30) and Matthew Tkachuk (21).
“I’m not thinking about it,” Tarasenko said on February 12 about trade speculation. “I think about the game tomorrow, I think about things today. You know, if you focus too much on the past and the future, you just lose focus on the present, lose excitement and get stressed every time. I might think about it.” Sometimes yes, but mostly I try to put it aside and prepare for the upcoming games.
Florida (43-16-4) leads the league with 90 points and has won six straight games since Jan. 22 with a record of 16-2-0. The Panthers host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; BSFL, NBCSP).
Tarasenko will try to help the Panthers reach the Stanley Cup Finals for the second straight year after losing five games to the Vegas Golden Knights last season as they advanced to the finals after finishing second Wild cards from the Stanley Cup playoffs were drawn from the Eastern Conference.
“Vladimir is a highly skilled and experienced scorer who provides our club with another dynamic offensive option as we begin the remainder of the season,” said Panthers General Manager Bill Zito. “We are excited for him to join our team and compete for the Stanley Cup once again.”
Tarasenko was selected in the first round (No. 16) of the 2010 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues and has 615 points (287 goals, 328 assists) in 732 regular season games for the Senators, New York Rangers and Blues, as well as 64 points ( 44 goals, 20 assists) in 97 Stanley Cup playoff games.
Tarasenko won the Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2019.
NHL.com independent correspondent Callum Fraser contributed to this report