Ottawa Senators' Vladimir Tarasenko during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, in Philadelphia, Pa., on March 2.Matt Slocum/The Associated Press
OTTAWA — The NHL-leading Florida Panthers gave their offence some scoring punch on Wednesday by acquiring veteran forward Vladimir Tarasenko from the Ottawa Senators.
The Senators receive two draft picks in return — a conditional fourth-round selection this year (becomes a third-round pick in 2026 if the Panthers win the Stanley Cup) and a third-round pick in 2025.
Ottawa also retains 50 per cent of Tarasenko’s remaining salary. The Senators signed Tarasenko to a one-year, US$5-million contract in July which included a full no-trade clause.
“We really like Vladdy, we like what he brought to our group,” Senators general manager Steve Staios said. “But as time went on, this was the outcome.”
Asked if the Senators could have waited until Friday’s trade deadline to see if there was a chance to get more for Tarasenko, Staios said “unequivocally no.”
“We exhausted all the options,” he said. “We feel comfortable with where we’re at and that was the maximum value in that deal.”
Tarasenko, who will be a free agent after this season, goes from a team labouring near the Eastern Conference standings to a squad with a good chance of helping the Russian forward earn a second Stanley Cup ring.
“Vladimir is a highly skilled and experienced scoring winger who provides our club with another dynamic offensive option as we embark on the remainder of our season,” Panthers general manager Bill Zito said in a release. “We are excited for him to join our team, and to compete for the Stanley Cup once again.”
The Panthers, runners-up to the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Stanley Cup final, entered Wednesday on a six-game winning streak and with a league-best 43-16-4 record.
In Tarasenko, the Panthers get a reliable top-six forward who can boost an offence ranked ninth in the league with 211 goals.
The 32-year-old from Yaroslavl has 17 goals and 24 assists in 57 games with Ottawa this season and 297 goals and 328 assists over 732 career games with the St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Ottawa.
He won a Stanley Cup with the Blues in 2018-19.
The Senators had lost four straight entering Wednesday and were last in the Atlantic Division at 25-31-3.