It was the strangest saga of the July market in NHL hockey. Star Russian forward Vladimir Tarasenko finally signed with Ottawa. But under significantly more modest conditions than he originally had on the table.
He once scored 40 goals in one regular season, the year before last he managed 34. In the past year for St. Louis and the New York Rangers, Tarasenko then achieved a respectable 50 points (18+32) from 69 games.
And since he didn’t have serious health problems like in the past, he could look forward to another interesting contract as a 31-year-old free agent. It was the hottest commodity.
He didn’t have a chance to keep his $7.5 million annual income, but lucrative offers kept pouring in.
Result? Five days after the opening of the market, Tarasenko fired his agent without explanation and finally found a new job after another three weeks. He signed a one-year contract with the Ottawa Senators for five million.
The contract includes a non-exchange clause, but in the context of other information, these are unexpectedly modest terms.
Larry Brooks from the New York Post in early July wrotethat Tarasenko has contracts of various lengths on the table with an annual salary in the range of 5.5 to 6 million dollars.
Another famous journalist Andy Strickland then last week he stated that shortly after the market opened, the Russian winger had the option to sign a four-year contract with Ottawa (!) for 22 million, which makes 5.5 million per year. By waiting, he lost some 17 million (about 370 million crowns).
According to Strickland, he also received an offer from San Jose (one year for six million) or Carolina, which sought a one-year cooperation for less than four million.
He almost agreed with Carolina, one of the main contenders for the Stanley Cup. As early as July, several overseas sources wrote that the cooperation was essentially on the way out.
But instead of confirming the agreement, silence followed. And then an unexpected twist when Tarasenko fired his agent Paul Theofanous, who represents mostly Russian players led by Rangers star Artemiy Panarin.
Tarasenko went to Pat Brisson and JP Barry, whose agency has under its wings Sidney Crosby, David Pastrnak or currently the highest paid hockey player on the planet, Nathan MacKinnon.
The Russian swashbuckler is trying out his third agent in three years, but he didn’t come up with anything better than a one-year contract with Ottawa for five million dollars.
With the Senators, after the trade of Alex DeBrincat to Detroit, he should occupy the wing spot in one of the first two offenses.
If he shines, he might still make money on a one-year deal. After the upcoming season, according to forecasts, the salary cap should increase significantly, which will bring better offers to free hockey players. In case of health problems, with which he has struggled a lot in the past, or poor form, Tarasenko will regret that he chose to take over after the opening of the market this year.
He would be far from the first such player. A year ago, for example, Swedish fullback John Klingberg, who rejected an eight-year contract with an annual salary of around seven million in Dallas, attracted attention.
He thought he was worth more, or he gave the opinion of his (later fired) agent.
However, he stumbled on the open market. He received roughly the same amount from Anaheim, i.e. seven million, but only for one year. And this year he gave the nod to Toronto on a one-year contract worth 4.15 million.
2023-08-02 17:49:34
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