Could Vladimir Tarasenko be a fit in Montreal?
On a recent episode of the Sick Podcast with Tony Marinaro, hosted by Shayne Gaumond with Jimmy Murphy of Sick Podcast Eye-Test, Murphy was asked about free agent forward Vladimir Tarasenko and his fit with the Montreal Canadiens.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
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Shayne Gaumond: “The next player I wanted to discuss is a fellow Russian. I don’t know if that’s where you were going.
Jimmy Murphy: “I was going to go there too.”
Gaumond: “But it’s Vladimir Tarasenko now, a veteran, right? Obviously, his better years are behind him in St. Louis. He was a superstar. Now, this past season with the Minnesota Wild, had a very good season, very respectable. Still without a contract. Now, of course, we’re talking about who could play with Ivan Demidov, right? Could that be a fit with the chemistry, the Russian connection?
We know his agent is the great, great Dan Milstein, who is a must-follow on Twitter. I must say, very entertaining person. But yeah, that’s it. The connections in Russia, the connections with Dan Milstein. Could he be a fit, Jimmy?”
Will the Montreal Canadiens Re-sign or Trade Arber Xhekaj?
Murphy: “I think he definitely could. And you just establish all the reasons why, right there, just the familiarity with that agent, who’s obviously got a lot of hands involved here, a lot of players involved with the Montreal Canadiens. It seems that he’s set on building a Russian mafia within the Canadiens dressing room (laughs).
A lot of them coming in, but I think that right there, that’s the strongest connection right there. And then I just think, yeah, I mean, he’s a versatile guy. I mean, everyone thinks offense when you think of Tarasenko, but he can get back and help out a bit.
And I just think if you’re looking at the UFA market and you’re looking for a plug-in piece, he is the best plug-in piece for the Montreal Canadiens at this point.”
NHLRumors.com Note: The Montreal Canadiens have $9,783,924 in salary cap space this offseason. Now they still have to get Zachary Bolduc and Arber Xhekaj under contract. So that number will drop, but there will be room for GM Kent Hughes to add via trade or free agency.
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If the Canadiens were to sign Vladimir Tarasenko, it wouldn’t cost as much as many think. He is coming off a contract that carried a cap hit of $4.75 million. Considering he is a 10-20 goal scorer right now and a two-time Stanley Cup Champion, the price could be in the $3 million-$4 million range on a one-year deal. Montreal wouldn’t go past that on a contract.
Tarasenko can play a role on a Canadiens team looking to get back to the Eastern Conference Final and beyond. But given Montreal needs someone for Demidov, Vladimir Tarasenko makes sense.
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