The biggest conundrum out there involves the burning question of who to keep and who to move in any given offseason. For the Red Wings, they had several veterans fall short of expectations, and one player’s production went well to the wayside.
A player who many in the Motor City looked forward to seeing continuing his career wearing the winged wheel until it became clear his play came nowhere near what anyone expected. Yeah, so nobody should blame Red Wings fans for wanting general manager Steve Yzerman to end the Vladimir Tarasenko experiment.
Tarasenko was awful this season, with 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points, complete with a minus-13 rating. Yeah, that’s a far cry from his days with the St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers. But, is Yzerman thinking about keeping Tarasenko for another year?
Keeping Tarasenko is a massive risk but it can lead to a massive reward
When asked about Tarasenko, Yzerman said, “I think play was better probably than his production. I would say he was frustrated not being able to produce and I think that affected his attitude and affected his play.” Okay, fair point, since stats and production don’t tell the entire story.
But here’s the bad news: At even strength, Tarasenko’s Corsi For of 45.4 was the third-lowest on the team among players who appeared in at least 55 games and the fifth-lowest among those appearing in at least 44 games. Want more fun? His offensive zone starting percentage of 50.9 was the sixth-highest on the team among players appearing in at least 44 contests.
His through rate of 47.3 percent resided in the lower half of the team, and Tarasenko never stood out defensively. That said, there’s no reason anyone would seriously consider keeping him around for another season, right?
Maybe not, but here’s the kicker: It’s not like Tarasenko can’t play anymore after one bad season. I’ll give you a good example: Last summer, I panned the Buffalo Sabres for signing Jason Zucker, whose production in 2023-24 was equally as bad as Tarasenko’s was this season. Fast-forward one year, and I’m praising Kevyn Adams for taking a chance on Zucker.
If Tarasenko stays in Detroit and plays well, everyone will congratulate Yzerman
If Tarasenko sticks around and puts up moderate production, something similar to what we’d seen from Patrick Kane this past season, then it’ll be like this past campaign never happened. Okay, so we’ll acknowledge it, but we’ll likely be clamoring for Yzerman to keep Tarasenko if he regains his old form for 2026 and beyond.
And let’s be real: If Tarasenko gave the Wings between 20 and 25 goals and 50 and 60 points, he’d make earning a playoff berth for the first time in a decade a whole lot easier. That will also contribute to the whole ‘water under the bridge’ mentality not just for Taraseko, but likely for Yzerman.
A player of Tarasenko’s caliber can bounce back, when you look at recent history, how many players have struggled through rough seasons, only to come back stronger?
Patrick Kane looked like he was finished following his 2022-23 stint with the New York Rangers, who he briefly played for after the Chicago Blackhawks traded him. Now, Kane looks like he’ll put up solid production heading into his age-37 season. Tarasenko is a little younger than that, so if Yzerman doesn’t give up on him, I won’t endorse it, but I can also see where he’s coming from.