More than 100 players sign new deals on the first day of unrestricted free agency, however, top forward Vladimir Tarasenko remains unsigned. Reports from earlier this week have linked him to the Carolina Hurricanes with some journalists stating that a deal was in place.
However on Wednesday afternoon, a huge twist comes our way as Elliotte Friedman announces that Tarasenko has new representation: JP Barry & Pat Brisson of CAA.
“What this means is no deal in place with any team, but process re-sets today.”
According to Larry Brooks of The New York Post, Tarasenko "had multiple offers from clubs ranging from contenders to rebuilds in the $5.5-to-$6M per category at varying lengths. Rejected all—Carolina was one—and then fired agent."
This is a monster break in the free-agent market as more teams were interested in signing Tarasenko. Rumours have pointed to the Ottawa Senators, who could take on the star forward if they managed to trade out Alex DeBrincat.
We better stay tuned on this one.
Tarasenko finished last season with 18 goals and 32 points in 69 combined games between the St.Louis Blues and New York Rangers. He is two seasons removed from a series of shoulder injuries that limited him to just 34 games during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons and has 262 goals in 664 NHL games for his career.
Where does he end up playing next?
