Vladimir Tarasenko seeks to come up with a promising season in his game next season after signing a new deal with the Detroit Red Wings. The forward has inked a two-year deal worth $9.5 million with the Red Wings as he seeks to boost the team in their hopes of scoring a deeper campaign in the 2023-24 season now more than ever.

Tarasenko played for the Ottawa Senators early in the 2023-24 season before being traded to the Florida Panthers in the middle of the campaign. The forward played an impressive campaign in the playoffs, scoring nine points (five goals, four assists) in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games to help the Panthers win the Cup.

The Red Wings now have added a valuable forward with Tarasenko and keeps a new competitive roster that can make a splash in the coming season with the goal of finally reaching the Playoffs and if they’re lucky, the Stanley Cup Final as well. Tarasenko brings in valuable experience to the squad and can be a pivotal piece as a promising player, to begin with, and that makes him a key player to look out for next season.

A New Groove for Tarasenko

Last season at the age of 32, Tarasenko significantly improved his performance. He scored 55 points, with 23 goals and 32 assists, in 76 regular-season games while playing for the Florida Panthers and Ottawa Senators. After being acquired by the Panthers in a trade with the Senators on March 6, he achieved 14 points, including six goals and eight assists, in 19 games.

"He's a left-shot winger with a bigger body, a little different type of player than our wingers: Lucas (Raymond), Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat," Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman said Thursday. "He's a bigger body (6-foot-1, 219 pounds) to fill out that top-six or top-nine group with a straight-ahead guy who is big and strong and will go to the net."

Drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the first round (No. 16) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Tarasenko has accumulated 629 points (293 goals, 336 assists) in 751 regular-season games for the Panthers, Senators, New York Rangers, and Blues. Additionally, he has earned 73 points (49 goals, 24 assists) in 121 playoff games.

A Bigger Pace for the Red Wings

The Detroit Red Wings (41-32-9) ended last season tied in points with the Washington Capitals for the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. However, they lost the tiebreaker based on regulation wins (32-27), causing them to miss the playoffs for the eighth consecutive season, which is now the longest streak in their history.

During free agency, Detroit signed goalies Cam Talbot to a two-year contract and Jack Campbell to a one-year contract, as well as forward Tyler Motte to a one-year contract and defenseman Erik Gustafsson to a two-year contract. They also re-signed forward Christian Fischer to a one-year contract and retained Kane with a one-year contract on June 30.

Tarasenko brings in a diverse veteran experience with the Red Wings. He has been one of the most experienced players left in the game, and Detroit needs his impressive game if they are going to come up with an impressive campaign that will help them come up with a competitive campaign. Who knows, maybe Tarasenko can come up with a bigger groove with his championship experience on the ice rink.