The writing has been on the wall for some time now, and the hammer has finally dropped. Vladimir Tarasenko’s time in Detroit is over. The team announced on social media that the Russian winger has been traded to Minnesota in exchange for future considerations.
No salary was retained in this deal, so this is a pure cap dump for Detroit to the tune of some $4.75 million. That is VERY interesting ahead of tomorrow, when NHL free agency will officially open at noon. There aren’t a ton of big-name free agents, but this will give Steve Yzerman more to work with if he has aspirations to make a big bid on a player like Mitch Marner. As of now, Detroit has some $23 million in cap space with three RFAs that should be re-signed on team-friendly terms.
Won’t mince words — Tarasenko was a huge bust in Detroit. He was signed after winning a cup with Florida and just… never clicked with this team. His departure has been rumored for long enough that I was expecting the Wings would have to tack on some sort of sweetener to get rid of the final year of his contract.
Getting rid of Tarasenko’s contract without salary retention, a draft pick, or prospect is a decent win for the Red Wings. Now let’s see what Steve Yzerman chooses to do with the cap space. I would imagine the freed up cap space will help Detroit get an extension done with Patrick Kane, but it still leaves them with more flexibility in free agency.
