As per Dan Rosen of NHL.com, now that his season is over at the hands of the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers’ rental forward Vladimir Tarasenko is a couple of days away from considering his free-agent options. A pending UFA who was traded to the Rangers at this season’s NHL Trade Deadline, there was plenty of thought this might be a short-term partnership as the Rangers looked stacked offensively and poised to make a run to the Stanley Cup. He was pegged as a player who could help them when they thought they were out of the running for Patrick Kane, however, even with both players on the roster, miscalculation and a setback in the first round will lead to organizational questions that range from who should coach to who should return on the ice.
Rosen tweeted, “Vladimir Tarasenko is still riddled with disappointment about not going far in the playoffs to think too much about free agency. But he did say it will be interesting for him and that he will be thinking about his family first when deciding where and what is next for him.” He adds, “Tarasenko praised the Rangers and loved his time with them. He said he can see the Rangers as an option for him because he had such a great experience. Obviously, cap situations come into play with that so I would have to think him returning is a longshot. But never know.”
Mollie Walker quoted Tarasenko when he told her, “Yeah, like I said, I’m enjoying being here. It’s one of the top organizations in the league, maybe if not the best. They do everything for players to just play and enjoy the work.”
Greg Wyshysnki of ESPN said he asked Tarasenko directly what he’s looking for in a free-agent destination and noted, “I want to play on a competitive team. I was lucky enough to win one [Stanley Cup] and want to win more if it’s possible.”
The Rangers should be competitive. Are they a Stanley Cup contender? Maybe not. And, if names like Patrick Kane and Tarasenko don’t return and the Rangers struggle to find cap room to replace them, the odds that they make a deep run, while still quite dangerous, only go down.
Tarasenko Likely Wants to Test the Market
The fact is, Tarasenko probably wants to test the free agent market. It’s rather weak and he’s a competitive forward who has a consistent track record of scoring. He’s 31, but that doesn’t mean a three or four-year deal is out of the question and he might decide to pick a team that is willing to overspend a little to get his 30-plus goals into their lineup, even if it means paying him for one or two years too many. The Rangers are probably not the team to do that.
Next: Dmitry Orlov Open to Signing w/ Bruins, Prefer a Return to Capitals
Pingback: Patrick Kane Would Love Chance to Return to New York Rangers