The veteran forward helps plug the offensive gap in the top six left by the trade of Alex DeBrincat.
When the Ottawa Senators traded Alex DeBrincat to the Chicago Blackhawks on July 8, there was a significant hole in the top six forward set. They had enough cap space to go out and try to acquire an impact forward to put in that spot, and there were some significant contributors left on the open market.
They finally filled that question mark in with the signing of free agent Vladimir Tarasenko to a one-year, $5 million contract on July 27th.
Tarasenko was easily ranked in most outlets’ top 10 free agents this summer. Surprisingly, though, he did not sign on July 1st when free agency opened officially. Nor did it come the day after or even the day after that. The speculation, of course, would lean towards Tarasenko looking for a long-term, high-value contract. However, with so many teams up against the salary cap ceiling this year and the salary cap finally anticipated to rise significantly next year with the COVID-19 impacts finally falling off, Tarasenko followed the trend of other top-tier free agents in signing a one-year “show-me” contract.
He should get plenty of offensive exercise in the top six in Ottawa as well as a prime feature spot on the top power play unit. While much is made about his offensive capabilities, there’s also been plenty of discourse around his play on the other side of the puck. If he lines up next to Tkachuk and Stutzle, that line could be fun for everyone on the ice, not just Senators fans. It would likely look like the very definition of “high-event hockey”. But someone has to score goals on this roster, and it might be worth it to have a line with as many weapons as possible played in easier minutes.
If he drops onto the second line, it will be curious how the remaining pieces like Drake Batherson, Dominik Kubalik, and Mathieu Joseph play out. More and more, we’re seeing the positions at forward become a lot more malleable in terms of responsibilities and drifting ever closer to positionless hockey. However, if any of those guys struggle to play on the left wing, the natural fix may be sliding veteran Claude Giroux down to that second line.
What do you anticipate lines to look like at the start of training camp, and do you think your initial thoughts on paper play out in reality when opening night puck drop occurs?