The NHL offseason has only just begun, but the free agent market has already opened. And in the midst of all this hype, Vladimir Tarasenko, quite unexpectedly, became the main man in the news. Undoubtedly, a great star, who is left without a contract and free to dispose of his future career as he wishes.
A problem.
Nearly every star on the free agent market has already been dismantled, and Volodya remains without a contract. The number of different rumors is only growing.
Now he is even more restless. As his colleague Patrick Kane, the market’s second-biggest star, quietly looks for options to continue his career, Tarasenko is unexpected! – Change agent. This is highly unusual news, especially considering that the change took place after the market opened. And the fears that Vladimir will miss an important moment for quiet preparations for the new season are only intensifying.
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Is the Russian dissatisfied with the work of former agent Paul Theofanos? The same one who represents the interests of Artemy Panarin, Semyon Varlamov, Sergei Bobrovsky, Kirill Kaprizov and our other Enkhaelites. Or was Theofanos unable to negotiate a decent contract? Or maybe he just did not listen to Tarasenko in this matter? Or are there other reasons?
Unfortunately, there are no answers to these questions (yet).
However, Vladimir’s new agent, JP Barry, who will be working alongside CAA’s Pat Brisson, has broken the silence around Tarasenko by shedding light on some important issues.
“Pat and I need to speed up a lot calling all the teams. We will call all the clubs. We know that there was interest from four or five teams that just spoke with Vladdy. We have to go back to square one and see what the discussions were about, who contacted the player, who didn’t contact, and find out exactly what happened last night,” Barry told The Athletic.
Vladimir Tarasenko
Photo: HC New York Rangers
Rumors from the first week of the market actively paired Tarasenko with Carolina. Hurricanes themselves declined to comment on this information. According to The Athletic journalist Jeremy Rutherford, Barry himself contacted the Hurricanes on Wednesday and awaited a response. Tarasenko refused to comment, in fact, like the mysterious Theofanos.
Was Tarasenko close to a contract with Carolina? I don’t want to comment on this until I know exactly what was discussed, at what time, and what was proposed. I can’t comment until the team calls me and tells me exactly what happened in the last three days,” Barry continued.
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Despite the general silence of almost everyone involved in this story, the new agents can receive help from Theofanos. He and Brisson have had a good relationship for a long time, in the past they often helped each other.
I’m sure Pat has already contacted him. He knows exactly how things are. I think Paul would have helped, given his relationship with Pat,” Barry said.
Tarasenko is changing agents for the second time in three years. Previously, his interests were represented by Mike Lewitt from the Octagon company – they cooperated for nine years from the beginning of the Russian’s career in the NHL. Only in 2020, Vladimir went to Theofanos.
An important reason for changing the agent was the history of another difficult operation on Tarasenko’s shoulder, already the third. The Russian was then forecast near the end of his career, but Theofanos, who also represents Vladimir’s close friend Artemy Panarin, recommended Dr. Peter Millett in Colorado. In the end, it all grew together, in every way.
Vladimir Tarasenko
Photo: Frank Franklin II/AP/TASS
A year later, Tarasenko, through Theofanos, requested a trade to St. Louis. This request was not fulfilled, Tarasenko played for the Blues for two more seasons, then there was a trade with the Rangers, and then you yourself know …
“Tarasenko is an attractive offensive option for clubs, but with the NHL’s salary cap for the 2023-2024 season increasing by just $1 million to $83.5 million, finding the right club can be difficult,” Rutherford writes. .
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This offseason, Vladimir’s eight-year, $60 million contract (with a $7.5 million salary cap) came to an end. Two years ago, the Russian scored 34 goals and set a personal record for assists (48) and points (82). Last season, Tarasenko totaled just 18 goals and 50 points in 69 regular-season games for St. Louis and the Rangers. He scored 4 (3+1) points in seven playoff games.
“It’s very difficult, but Vladimir is definitely the best player on the market. This is not the first time that negotiations have slowed down, so we must return to our original position and consider all the options that interest Tarasenko. We have to figure out if he should sign a one-year contract and come back on the market, or if there are other teams that want to talk about a longer term.
We have to take all this into account, because when a player signs a one-year contract, he is looking for the best environment in which he can prove himself and get a longer contract. So he is stressful. In addition, the teams prefer young players, especially in the third and fourth links, and they maintain a certain flexibility. But if we talk about the amount of work and the constant level, Tarasenko is a front-line player, a hockey player who makes a difference”, continues Barry.
Vladimir Tarasenko
Photo: www.nhl.com
However, even so, representatives of Tarasenko, like the hockey player himself, are in no hurry.
“When there’s a player that I think is the best available on the market, we don’t have to rush to do something in 24 hours. I think we should relax, collect all the data and talk to each team. You never know, there may be some teams that, after this initial hype, want to calm down and think about a trade or freeing up a cap spot. So we have to look at all the teams,” concludes Barry.
Of course, Tarasenko’s future is still shrouded in fog. Not much is known yet. But now, thankfully, he has become a bit calmer. Still, when some official comments appear, this automatically makes the situation more transparent and thus helps to calm down. Especially considering the fact that Barry didn’t spout lines out loud, instead speaking quite directly and believably. After all, if you know the case is in good hands, it inspires more confidence than silence, excuses, or loud pathos, doesn’t it?
