- Vladimir Tarasenko has switched to agent Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey
- Elliotte Friedman says the move points to Tarasenko leaving the Wild as a free agent
- Read below for the Theofanous backstory, his stat line and where he fits
Vladimir Tarasenko looks like he is already halfway out of Minnesota.
The pending free agent changed agents nine days before the market opens, and that kind of move usually means a player is ready to test it. Wild insider Michael Russo passed along Elliotte Friedman’s report from the 32 Thoughts podcast:
Tarasenko left Paul Theofanous and Pat Brisson for Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey. Milstein reps a long list of Russian stars, including Lightning duo Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Who he walked away from is the interesting part. Theofanous also represents Kirill Kaprizov, and the two sides ground out a $17 million extension last summer that left the Wild and the agent on frosty terms. The new agent reads as a clear signal that Tarasenko plans to sign elsewhere.
The winger can still play. He scored 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games for the Wild last season, and any team chasing middle-six scoring this summer will take notice. Check out what he brings:
He turns 35 in December, so a suitor gets a short-term swing at a proven scorer without locking into long term. On a thin wing market, that makes him one of the more sensible bets out there.
Minnesota has already re-signed Michael McCarron and looks to be saving cap room for a bigger forward. The Wild were on Brady Tkachuk’s list before he landed in Florida, and bringing back Tarasenko could price them out of the next star chase.
Free agency opens July 1, and the new agent is the clearest sign yet that Tarasenko’s run in Minnesota is ending.
