Vladimir Tarasenko is a 20-goal Scorer Once Again

(Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Vladimir Tarasenko is a 20-goal scorer for the first time since his 2021-22 season on the St. Louis Blues. Now, in 2026, he’s doing it in the state of hockey as a member of the Minnesota Wild. The goal to get him to that mark was a massive one- beating Minnesota’s rival Dallas Stars in overtime. Tarasenko has come up big consistently during his first year in the Twin Cities and seemingly has captured some of the spark he once played with.

After 3 underwhelming and injury ridden seasons with 5 separate franchises, Tarasenko was traded to the Minnesota Wild last summer. Many fans and members of the media had lost hope in the Russian Winger who was going into his 14th season in the National Hockey League. Though Tarasenko was coming off a somewhat productive season in Detroit- his play was far from what it was with the Blues in the mid-2010’s. In one year for the Red Wings, Tarasenko recorded 11 goals and 22 assists for 33 points in 80 games played. He came to St. Paul as a potential low risk, high-reward forward to fill a bottom 6 forward spot. It became clear as the season ticked on, that he would become much more than that for one of the top teams in the NHL.

Now, Tarasenko sits as the Wild’s 3rd leading goal scorer and has passed the 20 goal marker yet again. Over the last 4 games, Tarasenko has 4 goals- including that game winner over Dallas. He has 4 multi-goal games on the season and has added in 20 assists. With the Wild dealing with injuries throughout the season, Tarasenko has come through to fill gaps on the wing and raise the club’s level of play. 

Tarasenko signed a 2-year, 9.5 million dollar deal with the Red Wings before the start of last season. Meaning, he will be a free agent and eligible to sign with any team this upcoming summer. It’s hard to see a spot for Tarasenko on the Wild’s 2026-27 roster, but he’s made the most of his time in Minnesota, so there's no definite answer on if he’ll wear the green and red next year. Regardless, he’s proved that he can still add value on a NHL roster and should expect to field multiple offers in the free agency period. 

If you're interested in being notified when the next article comes out, be sure to scroll down to the "Free Subscription" form and subscribe, we hope you enjoyed!