Senators’ Vladimir Tarasenko is Looking Forward to a New Challenge

Ottawa Senators’ free agent acquisition Vladimir Tarasenko met the media Tuesday for the first time since signing his one-year, $5 million contract with the club on July 27.

Speaking via Zoom from Florida, the 31-year-old noted several key factors leading to him becoming an Ottawa Senator for the 2023-24 season.

The main factors being family and passion to win.

Tarasenko’s wife, Yana, and their three children were first and foremost on his mind. The 11-year veteran mentioned multiple times during the call signing with the Senators was a family decision.

He’s also looking forward to making a home in Ottawa, albeit if it’s only for one year.

“I had some time to talk with my family and make a decision, and it’s an exciting young group of players. We spoke to a few guys before I signed. It sounded like the guys want to win. We decided it’s the best deal for one year for us,” said Tarasenko.

The Stanley Cup champion with the 2019 St. Louis Blues was impressed with how Senators’ players made him feel welcome immediately, and he sees the club as a team that’s on the cusp of making their first postseason appearance since 2017.

“They’re a young team, and they’re very hungry to win. With ownership change and talking to the coach (D.J. Smith), to the general manager (Pierre Dorion), and to the guys, it seems like they’re really ready to make the next step. And I’m very happy to be part of it, at least for one year,” Tarasenko said.

“Yeah, I got added to the group chat now, and there was kind of funny conversations on there. I spoke with a few guys before signing – spoke with Claude (Giroux) and Brady (Tkachuk). They basically told me what’s going on with the team, which made us think this is the best fit for us and it’s very exciting.”

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Where Tarasenko fits in the Senators’ lineup remains to be seen. It’s uncertain if the Missouri resident will shift to the left side – filling the hole on the second line forward unit created by trading Alex DeBrincat to Detroit. Tarasenko told Full Press Hockey he’s always played on the right, though he shoots left, however, where he lines up is ultimately D.J. Smith’s decision.

“I think it’s the best option. I don’t know how to make any predictions,  but I’ve played all my career on the right side; we’ll see.”

One thing is for sure, the four-time 30-goal scorer, who’s also chipped in a 40-goal campaign, is looking forward to playing a season in Canada.

“It’s always a kind of nervous situation when you go to a new place and I think me and my family, we’re all excited about the chance to play in Canada, because we heard some stories and people love hockey. And, of course, I’ll be nervous a little bit, but pretty sure when I get there, it’s going to be settled down.”

In the end, whether it’s for only one season or multiple years, all Vladimir Tarasenko wants to do is win.

“It’s a team who won a lot last year. Yeah, they didn’t make the playoffs, but you know they play well. And it’s very exciting when you have some challenges ahead of you. I’m really excited to be part of it too.”