Blue Jackets Are a Logical Trade Destination for Red Wing Vladimir Tarasenko – The Hockey Writers Columbus Blue Jackets Latest News, Analysis & More

The Columbus Blue Jackets are going to be buyers at the 2025 Trade Deadline; Don Waddell has already made that clear. With a considerable number of injuries to key forwards, it seems clear they’ll need to add some depth up front. 

One player who is apparently available on the market is Vladimir Tarasenko of the Detroit Red Wings. While he’s not going to be a long-term solution given his current age and contract, he could be a player who could benefit the organization for the next season and a half. 

Tarasenko’s Positives

At one point, Tarasenko was one of the most dangerous goal-scoring threats in the NHL. He hit the 40-goal plateau once in his career, during the 2015-16 season, and came close a couple of others times, scoring 37 the season before and then 39 in 2016-17. Since being dealt by the St. Louis Blues in the middle of the 2022-23 season, he hasn’t been the same player but typically finishes around the 20-goal mark. He could give the Blue Jackets some additional depth scoring. 

Tarasenko would bring a considerable amount of experience to the Blue Jackets’ locker room. As a two-time Stanley Cup champion, once with the Blues in 2018-19 and once with the Florida Panthers last season, he knows what it takes to win. 

The Blue Jackets’ future is shaped heavily by their Russian forwards and adding a Russian who has been to the top of the mountain could be heavily beneficial as he could mentor Kirill Marchenko, Yegor Chinakhov, and Dmitri Voronkov while adding his offensive ability to the lineup. There has been talk that Waddell has begun conversations with Ivan Provorov regarding a contract extension, but if he leaves, Tarasenko’s value to Columbus would only increase. 

Tarasenko’s Struggles

In his first year of a two-year contract, the Red Wings are already looking to move on from Tarasenko. He’s struggled so far in Detroit, but it’s safe to assume he can bounce back with the right organization. It does mean that whichever team brings him in will be taking a risk, as they’ll be committed to the veteran for one more season with a cap hit of $4.75 million. His contract won’t break the Blue Jackets by any means — cap space is far from an issue in Columbus — but it would give them slightly less money to work with in the offseason. 

Tarasenko does also have trade protection in his current contract, which could lead to some difficulty if he’s not willing to come to Columbus or if the team were to acquire him then want to trade him next season.

If Tarasenko doesn’t bounce back, the biggest issue would be wasting a roster spot. Such a young team full of prospects hoping to make the jump to the NHL can’t afford to waste a spot on an underperforming veteran. That being said, Sean Kuraly, Justin Danforth, James van Riemsdyk, and Kevin Labanc could all be on the way out as they’ll be unrestricted free agents this summer. As a result, Tarasenko would likely take one of their spots rather than the spot of someone like Luca Del Bel Belluz, who is making a strong case for himself at the NHL level. 

Related:  Analyzing the Blue Jackets’ Position as Trade Deadline Buyers

On the ice, Tarasenko’s shooting percentage is much lower than normal for him. His career average is 12.6%, while this season it’s all the way down to 7.5%. Add in the fact that he’s shooting at a lower rate in general, and it’s no surprise he’s struggling to score in Detroit. He’s also been turning the puck over at a higher rate as well as in 53 games he has already tied his career-worst 29 giveaways. The question is whether he is struggling due to natural regression or if he is simply not fitting into Detroit’s system.

There’s no clear answer to that question, but it seems the benefits of Tarasenko outweigh the risks for Columbus at this point in time. They’re not in a cap crunch, so they’re one of the few teams who could take the risk, and there’s always the possibility Detroit will be willing to give up assets to get the veteran off of the books. Plus, with the Blue Jackets just a single point behind the Red Wings in the standings heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off break, Tarasenko could have some added motivation to knock his former team out of the postseason.