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“No one told you life was going to be this way.”
I don’t think this was the season that anyone was expecting.
The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Vladimir Tarasenko fresh off a Stanley Cup Championship with the Florida Panthers. The deal was worth $4.75 million for two seasons.
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It’s fair to say that things haven’t gone smoothly, with tensions escalating to the point that Tarasenko was rumored to be on the trade block.
The Red Wings were expecting a certain production level that Tarasenko hasn’t lived up to. Instead, they’ve witnessed the worst season of his career.
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Over his last three years before the current season, Tarasenko recorded 55, 50, and 82 points in 76, 69, and 75 games, respectively. He produced 0.72, 0.72, and 1.09 points per game pace.
A $4.75 million contract doesn’t scream point per game expectations. However, assuming that the team was looking for production in the 45-55 point range is reasonable. Or something in the ballpark of his production last season.
The Tarasenko That The Red Wings Got
This season has featured career-worsts (or close) in nearly every category for Tarasenko.
He is on pace for 35 points. Tarasenko recorded less than 35 points in only three seasons: 2012-13, 2019-20, and 2020-21.
The 2012-13 season was his rookie year, where he scored 19 points in 38 games. If he had played 82 games, he was on pace for 41 points.
He was injured in 2019-20 and 2020-21. Tarasenko played only 34 games combined across those two seasons, recording 24 points.
This year? He has 31 points in 72 games. Tarasenko has a career 12.6 shooting percentage. This season, he’s shooting 8.0 percent (2nd worst in his career).
To add to the disappointing recipe, Tarasenko is shooting less than ever. He has averaged 2.9 shots on goal in his career, but this season, he is averaging a career-worst 1.7 shots on goal per game.
It’s fair to say that the 33-year-old sniper hasn’t lived up to expectations. And the Red Wings knew that they weren’t getting prime Tarasenko when they signed him.
Instead, they’ve received one of the most disappointing seasons from a forward that they have signed in recent memory.
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