What are the New York Rangers getting in Vladimir Tarasenko?

Feb 9, 2023, 18:13 EST

What are the New York Rangers getting in Vladimir Tarasenko?

Credit: © Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

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With just over three weeks until the NHL’s March 3 trade deadline, we’ve got you covered every day at Daily Faceoff with at least one trade-focused story leading up to Deadline Day.

On Thursday, we were planning on focusing on St. Louis Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko – and had put in the hours of work sizing up his game, watching clips and talking to league sources – prior to his trade to the New York Rangers.

Given that Tarasenko was already traded, we figured we would pass along a report to indicate exactly what the Rangers are getting in their newest sniper.

2023 Trade Deadline Countdown: 22 days

VLADIMIR TARASENKO
Right Wing, New York Rangers
Shoots: Left
Age: 31
Cap Hit: $7.5 million (Blues retained half, now $3.75 million)
Term: Pending UFA
Trade Clauses: Waived full ‘no-trade’ to arrive in New York
Stats: 38 GP, 10 goals, 19 assists, 29 points, 17:31 avg TOI
Career: 11th season (all with St. Louis), 644 GP, 262 goals, 553 points, 17:31 avg TOI

Archetype and Ideal Role

Shooter. Top six winger, top unit power play.

Tarasenko started the season ranked as the 13th-best pure shooter in the league as part of Daily Faceoff‘s Archetype Ranking series. Tarasenko can fill the net in a number of different ways. He owns one of the quickest releases in the game. He’s also not afraid to get to the scoring areas to score in a different manner. There is no doubt he will boost a contender’s offense if deployed with the right linemates.

Scouting Report

No surprise, but Tarasenko has an elite offensive sense. Scoring starts with vision. He can see the ice well and understands where to be in order to generate quality chances. He is a shooter, yes, and that is his preferred method of attack – but he can also make plays in tight and off the rush. Tarasenko can facilitate for open teammates with a combination of his vision, skating, his willingness to absorb contact, and ability to maintain possession and make the play.

But his shot is the best weapon in his arsenal. Specifically, Tarasenko’s snapshot is lethal. He is incredibly strong on his stick, which allows him to collect pucks and still get off great shots while under pressure. His release is deceptive and ultra-fast. He’s one of the few shooters in the NHL who can reliably beat goalies clean from distance, as shown in his career 12.7 shooting percentage.

Tarasenko can still get around the ice well. He isn’t a burner by any means – and his first three strides are mostly average – but once he gets moving, he can be a lot to handle. He uses a combination of quickness and thickness to beat defenders below the goal line.

Tarasenko also has a great pair of hands. He uses his hands, feet, and thicker size to be a threat down low and off the rush. On the power play, he is efficient and a threat on the flank. The combination of his shot and ability to make plays makes him a dual threat that teams must account for, and he can create time and space for his other teammates to allow them to go to work.

Perhaps most critically for an acquiring team, Tarasenko has proven that he is a guy who will rise up in the playoffs. He was a critical, play-driving force in St. Louis’ run to the 2019 Stanley Cup by posting 17 points in 26 playoff games. He had nine points in 12 playoff contests last year, showing a willingness to play through injury to get the job done.

Buyer Beware

If you’ve spent any time watching Tarasenko over the last decade, it is clear to see that he is a classic gifted offensive player who lacks true commitment in the defensive zone. He prefers to let others do the work around him. He is late to track pucks and in the defensive zone, he tends to look to get ahead of the play, rather than going point-to-point to help kill plays.

Even though Tarasenko scores in big moments, he is usually on the minus ledger when it comes to stopping the other team. So any acquiring team is best served to understand how to best deploy him and leverage him with the right fight and combination of forwards to play him with.

There have been questions about Tarasenko’s injury history, but he silenced a ton of critics last year. After multiple botched shoulder surgeries conducted by the Blues’ team doctors, Tarasenko had the injury properly repaired and bounced back with the best season of his career. He hit 34 goals and 48 assists for 82 points. The most impressive part was the playmaking layer he added to his game, which evolved to the point where goalies could no longer solely focus their attention on him as a shooting threat. They had to account for his ability to fake the shot and make the play, which in turn also gave him more room to shoot.

Tarasenko’s recent hand injury is partially concerning because it does limit his shot, his best weapon. And he hasn’t been able to get the puck off his stick quite as quickly in the four games he’s played since returning on Jan. 24, but that will likely improve with time.

Summary

At this stage of his career, Tarasenko is likely a high-end complementary player. When he’s played with Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich, he’s been excellent. He has created more shots, chances and high-danger chances with them. He’s struggled with other players – including Jordan Kyrou, Ivan Barbashev and lately, Noel Acciari. That means that Tarasenko can complement good players but does not necessarily singularly drive play like he once did, one of the rare wingers in the game who could do that.

If there was any doubt, looking at every game he’s played this season will tell you that Tarasenko can still play. When partnered with the right players – including a nightmare line in New York with fellow Russian Artemi Panarin and Mike Zibanejad, which would make a lethal trio of a distributor, power forward and shooter – he has the opportunity to significantly impact the game. He knows how to win when it matters most and that also counts for something that can’t be properly quantified. On top of all of that, the Rangers are receiving a player who should be highly motivated to perform for his next payday. He hasn’t had to do it recently, but Tarasenko should be ready to sing for his supper on Broadway.

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