NHL

In Tarasenko, Detroit Hopes to Add Championship Blend of Skill & Grit

In Tarasenko, Detroit Hopes to Add Championship Blend of Skill & Grit

"That's the reason I came because I like the way the team played," Vladimir Tarasenko said, on the day he was introduced as a Detroit Red Wing. "I believe this team can make the playoffs and do some special things."

Having just won his second Stanley Cup, Tarasenko hoped to continue the good feeling by joining a Red Wings team looking to continue its upward trajectory.  After signing a two-year contract this summer to come to Detroit, he played his first games in the Winged Wheel during the pre-season, delivering results that drew mixed reviews from his coach.

Oct 4, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Ottawa Senators goaltender Anton Forsberg (31) makes a save on Detroit Red Wings right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (11) in the second period at Little Caesars Arena

© Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

"I certainly hope so," Derek Lalonde replied, when asked Saturday by The Hockey News whether the physical side of Tarasenko's game is under-appreciated, before suggesting he was something less than entirely satisfied. "Vlad has two goals for us. I think last night he did his job in that he finished [to put the Red Wings] up 3-1. I would like to think a little more detailed, motivated group would've finished that off when it matters, but obviously that wasn't the case last night, which is frustrating."  In the last sentence, he was describing the Red Wings' collective effort against Ottawa Thursday, but his subsequent remarks made clear the same applied to Tarasenko.

"You can see how we're built," continued Lalonde. "We're very light with some of our skill throughout the lineup, and it shows up in puck battles, retrievals. There's nights it can be not good enough. I think he's just a little bit bigger, and we would like him to help out a little more. I'm glad he's started to maybe try to get his game in order."

In that sentiment, Lalonde suggests that the promise of Tarasenko lies in his ability to add both grit and skill at the same time to Detroit's top six. In this regard, Tarasenko serves as a direct replacement to David Perron, albeit with perhaps slightly different toggling on the skill and grit sliders, whose spot in the top six Tarasenko fills after Perron signed in Ottawa. However, Lalonde's comments also suggest that he hasn't quite lived up to that billing to date.

For what it's worth, a less than Stanley Cup-winning effort is hardly local to Tarasenko among Red Wings veterans this pre-season, nor among veteran players around the league.  There were flashes of his physicality in his final pre-season game against Ottawa (it was these moments Lalonde referred to when he described Tarasenko as getting his game in order), and it's not hard to see why a 32-year-old veteran of 12 NHL seasons wold hold a little something back at this time of year in the name of self-preservation.

As Christian Fischer points out, Tarasenko's value—even on the back nine of his career—was evident during his run to a second Stanley Cup with Florida last spring.  "Obviously he has had a very successful career," Fischer said Saturday morning.  " watched the Panthers do that whole run and how good he was in that run. Even in St. Louis, I remember watching those playoff series. He's, in my opinion, one of the more premier goalscorers in this league."

That winning pedigree allures Lalonde, not as a line item on a résumé but specifically for the fact that twice now Tarasenko has seen the exact level of commitment necessary to capture the highest prize in the sport.  "He's witnessed what winning looks like," Lalonde said.  "When you want guys that have won Stanley Cups here, it's not that they've won, it's that they saw the process of winning, and that's what's exciting about someone like Vlad."

Lalonde was also candid about the idea that summoning such commitment was a process for Tarasenko, but it's precisely that process Lalonde believes can help Detroit now, saying "I think Vlad has had some frustration in his career, some ups and downs, and I know he's probably butted heads with some coaches at times because of his style of play, but to his credit, he's understood what winning looks like, and he's done what it takes to win. And that's a huge credit to him. That's the kind of stuff we're trying to build and grow, why we think Vlad can be a very valuable player for us."

As with the rest of the Red Wings vets, a lukewarm pre-season will soon be forgotten, replaced by either brighter days or far more serious concern.  On that front, the good news for Detroit fans is that, per Fischer's testimony, the shot that has made Tarasenko's name in the NHL remains every bit as distinguished at age 32 as ever, and in Tarasenko, Fischer sees an exceptional goalscorer, winner, and leader.

"To see the shot in practice and in games, it's one of the quickest and craziest releases I've seen," said Fischer.  "It's hard to explain, but he has a very different type of release than most guys, and it comes off so damn quick.  You can tell within one practice.  I remember being in Traverse City, when his puck hit the post and my puck hit the post, they make different sounds.  It's pretty fun to have him on our team, and he's one heck of a veteran, and he knows what it takes to succeed in this league…I think he's gonna be really good for us, put up a lot of goals, and be a really good leader for us."

Also from THN Detroit

Breaking: Red Wings Trim Roster Down to 28

Red Wings Place Holl on Waivers

Three Takeaways from the Red Wings' 3-2, Preseason Finale Loss to the Maple Leafs

Multitude of Roster Moves Cuts Red Wings' Roster to 41

Role Versatility Puts NHL Within Grasp for Red Wings' Top Prospects

Three Takeaways from the Red Wings' Loss to Ottawa

Three Takeaways from Red Wings’ 2-0 loss to Toronto Maple Leafs

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