- Elliotte Friedman says Vladimir Tarasenko might have ended up in Florida if Brad Marchand’s injury had dragged on
- Tarasenko has been skating in south Florida and is still unsigned with opening night a week away
- Read below for what Friedman said about Patrik Laine and Logan Stanley in the same segment
Vladimir Tarasenko is still without a team, and the job that came closest to being his may have come down to how long Brad Marchand stayed hurt.
Elliotte Friedman was asked about Tarasenko’s market during his Monday segment on the FAN Hockey Show, and he laid out exactly how far the Florida connection got.
“Vladimir Tarasenko, I had heard he might be going to Florida, obviously that hasn’t happened,” Friedman said. “Someone had said if [Brad Marchand’s injury] was longer, Tarasenko might’ve ended up there.”
Nobody has reported negotiations between the two sides. Friedman was passing along what had been said to him, and he shut the door on the idea that anything is live right now.
The Marchand piece is what gave the whole thing legs. Paul Maurice said last week that Marchand will spend October rehabbing, with Jonah Gadjovich out indefinitely on top of that.
A longer absence would have opened a hole on a roster that already knows the player. Tarasenko won the Cup in Florida in 2023-24 after Ottawa traded him there, and he has been skating in south Florida all summer.
Cap room is the other problem. The Panthers have none to work with.
Production has not been the issue for him. The 34-year-old winger put up 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games for Minnesota last season, then added five points in 11 playoff games.
Patrik Laine and Logan Stanley came up in the same segment. Friedman said he is surprised Laine has not signed anywhere, though the 2016 second overall pick has specific places he would rather land, and he said Stanley should be chasing the best fit for his game rather than the biggest name on the door.
All three have been sitting on the market since July 1. Opening night is Sept. 29 in Raleigh, where Carolina raises its banner against Florida, so Tarasenko has a week to find a sweater.
