The Detroit Red Wings experienced an exodus of talent this past offseason. After losing David Perron, Daniel Sprong and Shayne Gostisbehere, general manager Steve Yzerman was forced to find a way to offset the loss of that secondary scoring. One way he attempted to do that was by signing winger Vladimir Tarasenko.
A six-time 30-goal scorer in the NHL, Tarasenko is a two-time Stanley Cup champion that made a name for himself during his decade with the St. Louis Blues. Over the two seasons prior to this one, he has played for four different teams, totaling 41 goals and 105 points while settling into a middle six role. The Red Wings signed him with hope that he would fill the same role for them, getting his signature on a two-year contract worth $4.75 million a year.
Fast forward to today and the fit between Tarasenko and the Red Wings has been…well, there hasn’t really been a fit to this point. The Russian winger, who grew up playing with the Russian Five on his childhood video games, has slid up and down the lineup as two different head coaches have tried to find a spot that works for him. He now finds himself in the rumor mill as Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has stated that the 33-year-old may be on his way out of Detroit very soon.
Tarasenko’s Red Wing Journey
Two head coaches have tried to get Tarasenko going this season. Under Derek Lalonde, Tarasenko began the season on the second line with J.T. Compher and Patrick Kane, but he eventually slid down the lineup and joined Jonatan Berggren and Marco Kasper on the third line. His experience was a welcome addition to that line given Berggren and Kasper’s lack of it.
To this point in the season, Berggren has been Tarasenko’s most common linemate. The two wingers have been a staple of the Red Wings’ second power play unit, and Berggren’s puck-possession style meshes well with a forward like Tarasenko that wants to get the puck off of his stick quickly via a shot or a pass. Together, the two have yielded poor possession metrics, but they are outscoring the opposition at five-on-five. Goals will always matter more than shots/possession, but it is notable that the process always look rough with Tarasenko on the ice, even when he’s playing with someone he has some chemistry with.
This brings us to the crux of the Red Wings’ Tarasenko problem: where do you put him? Kasper seems to be solidifying his place on the top line with Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, keeping DeBrincat and Kane together seems to be the coaching staff’s preference when everyone is firing on all cylinders, and Tarasenko doesn’t really fit with defensive grinders like Christian Fischer and Michael Rasmussen. Tarasenko needs to be in a scoring role to be effective, but he needs to be effective to stay in a scoring role.
Tarasenko is under contract for one more season, but right now that season looks like a threat rather than a source of security. That’s why the Red Wings are investigating the possibility of clean break for both parties.
Chance for Reconciliation?
Here’s the thing: success heals all wounds. If Tarasenko immediately went on a heater as soon as the league returns from the 4 Nations break, the general consensus around him will change the same way the general consensus about the Red Wings changed after they made their coaching change. It is hard to say what changes could be made to illicit that kind of breakout, but this situation could become a non-issue pretty quickly.
The question of what changes could be made does prompt another question though: is there a disconnect between Tarasenko and head coach Todd McLellan? The vast majority of Detroit’s roster has responded well to the coaching change, and the team’s win-loss record under McLellan is proof of it. But Tarasenko, despite the change and despite the fact he has years of NHL experience to draw from, looks just as ineffective as he did under Lalonde. It makes you wonder what can be done – or what needs to be done to get this player going.
Maybe the awkward fit here between team and player goes deeper than we realize. Maybe a little puck luck would fix the entire situation. Regardless, the status quo is clearly not good enough for both parties right now, and that’s why Tarasenko’s name has popped up in the rumor mill.
A change is necessary, it’s just a matter of figuring out what that change needs to look like.
