The NHL-leading Florida Panthers gave their offence some scoring punch on Wednesday by acquiring veteran forward Vladimir Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators.
Ottawa also retains 50 per cent of Tarasenko’s remaining salary. The Senators signed Tarasenko to a one-year, $5-million US contract in July which included a full no-trade clause.
Tarasenko, who will be a free agent after this season, goes from a team labouring near the Eastern Conference standings to a squad with a good chance of helping the Russian forward earn a second Stanley Cup ring.
“Vladimir is a highly skilled and experienced scoring winger who provides our club with another dynamic offensive option as we embark on the remainder of our season,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said in a release. “We are excited for him to join our team, and to compete for the Stanley Cup once again.”
In Tarasenko, the Panthers get a reliable top-six forward who can boost an offence ranked ninth in the league with 211 goals.
The 32-year-old from Yaroslavl has 17 goals and 24 assists in 57 games with Ottawa this season and 297 goals and 328 assists over 732 career games with the St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Ottawa.
He won a Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2018-19.
The Senators had lost four straight entering Wednesday and were last in the Atlantic Division at 25-31-3.
Oilers boost forward depth
Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers are acquiring forwards Adam Henrique and Sam Carrick from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for undisclosed draft picks, multiple media outlets reported on Wednesday.
TSN reported that a third-party broker likely is involved in the transaction.
Henrique, 34, has recorded 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists) in 60 games this season. He is playing on the final campaign of a five-year, $29.125 million contract and will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Carrick, 32, has collected 11 points (eight goals, three assists) in 61 games this season. He is playing in the final campaign of a two-year, $1.7 million contract and will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Avs trade for Walker
Also, the Philadelphia Flyers traded defenceman Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche for a first-round pick, according to multiple outlets.
Walker, 29, has played in all 63 games in his first season with the Flyers, recording a career-high six goals with 16 assists.
He played his first five NHL seasons with the Los Angeles Kings and has collected 89 points (22 goals, 67 assists) in 295 games.
The NHL trade deadline is Friday at 3 p.m. ET.