Vladimir Tarasenko and his family welcomed a summer visitor to their home in Florida with a feast befitting a New Year's Eve celebration in their native Russia, sending him off after a five-hour stay with an armful of leftovers.
Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes was so appreciative of the hospitality he hand-washed and returned the empty containers to Tarasenko before training camp began.
“We didn't ask for that,” Tarasenko said, with a sheepish smile.
The 14th-year NHL veteran didn't anticipate such a hearty welcome from his new team, once a fierce Central Division rival. Tarasenko was acquired by the Wild from the Detroit Red Wings in an offseason trade for future considerations, essentially a salary dump after a disappointing stint.
Now, not that long after he regularly ruined their nights while playing a leading role for the St. Louis Blues, Tarasenko will make his Wild debut in the opener on Thursday in, fittingly, the city where he played his first 10 1/2 seasons in the league.
“I wouldn’t expect this from my career before, maybe five or six years ago, but I can’t complain,” Tarasenko said. "It's a new chapter for us. It’s a very good group of people here, and so far I’ve been helped almost like never before. Everything’s been smooth. I’ll say it one more time: When it’s a good group of guys, it makes things very easy.”
Tarasenko had 262 goals and 553 points in 644 regular season games with the Blues, who drafted him at age 18 with the 16th overall pick in the 2010 draft. He had 41 goals and 60 points in 90 playoff games, too, and no opponent felt the sting of those rocket shots more than the Wild.
Including the postseason, when he scored 12 times over three series, Tarasenko had 25 goals in 51 career games for St. Louis against Minnesota. Factoring in his subsequent stints with the New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers, Tarasenko has 48 points in 54 games against the Wild for his most on any opponent.
The Wild are more than happy to have him, with veterans Mats Zuccarello (lower body) and Nico Sturm (back) on injured reserve and expected to be sidelined for significant portions of the season and several forward spots being manned by young players.
“We offer a guy like him a lot of good players to play with,” general manager Bill Guerin said. “I know he’s motivated.”
With star Kirill Kaprizov, rookie Danila Yurov and third-line left wing Yakov Trenin, the Wild also have three other Russians to benefit from Tarasenko’s presence.
“Even if you know English well, you probably would rather have somebody in your native language who you can talk not only hockey but life in general,” Tarasenko said.
Playing for any team beside the Blues wasn't a consideration until he became unhappy about the way they handled his shoulder injuries after he had a big hand in the franchise's first win of the Stanley Cup in 2019. Tarasenko first requested a trade after the 2020-21 season, nevertheless reported to camp and produced the only point-per-game full season of his career.
But when the Blues slumped the following season, they traded him to New York down the stretch. After signing with Ottawa the next summer, Tarasenko was on the move again before the deadline and wound up with his second championship with Florida in 2024. Though he played in 80 games for Detroit last season, he managed only 11 goals and 22 assists with a minus-13 rating.
“I’ve been always a competitive guy, and I have a lot of motivation before this season, especially after last year, being out to prove to everybody. My life has always been like this,” said Tarasenko, who has been playing right wing on the second line next to center Joel Eriksson Ek with Marcus Foligno at left wing. "I always have to prove something, and I figure it is going to be like this, and I’m OK with that. I like having pressure, and it makes you work harder, and the feeling when you can prove something, if you can for people who do not believe in you, it’s priceless.”
As for facing the Blues, well, he doesn't hide his feelings about them, either.
“I met a lot of good people in St. Louis. I have very good memories," Tarasenko said after practice on Wednesday. “When I get traded, they said that it’s a business, so the games against them are always personal for me, obviously. I’m looking at this as an opening game with a new team. I feel excited for the opportunity.”
Wild lose a key player early
Some bad news for Minnesota on Wednesday. The Wild announcing that forward Nico Sturm is going to be out for an extended period with a back injury.
Head Coach John Hynes talking with reporters in St Paul after practice on Wednesday about dealing with that speed bump.
"I mean, that was, you know, when we talked the other day, it was about Sturmy where, if we could have the ability where we didn't have to do that, we would have," says Hynes. "But obviously the circumstances have changed so, that's what we're rolling with."
One player who will now get a shot will be 21-year old Hunter Haight who is ecstatic after being recalled from Iowa.
"Yeah, it's always an opportunity when you're here and I've got to take full advantage of it and try to do what I can to help the team out," Haight explains.
Minnesota Wild vs. St. Louis Blues
St. Louis; Thursday, 7 p.m.
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Blues -125, Wild +104; over/under is 5.5
BOTTOM LINE: The St. Louis Blues host the Minnesota Wild in the season opener.
St. Louis went 44-30-8 overall and 17-13-3 in division games a season ago. The Blues had a +19 goal differential last season, scoring 250 goals while giving up 231.
Minnesota had a 45-30-7 record overall while going 13-11-2 against opponents from the Central Division last season. The Wild had a 20.8% power play success rate last season, scoring 43 goals on 207 chances.
Next Up
The Wild return home Saturday for the home opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Face-off is at 7:00 p.m.