Senators winger Vladimir Tarasenko can pick and choose his new home

Article content

Vladimir Tarasenko is in control of his own destiny.

Article content

The Ottawa Senators veteran winger will have the say on whether he’s on the move before the clock strikes zero on the National Hockey League trade deadline set for 3 p.m. ET Friday.

Article content

The action is about to heat up as Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manger, attempts to make changes to his struggling club for the first time since taking full control of the hockey operations on Nov. 1.

The expectation is that Tarasenko, set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, will be dealt before the deadline Friday.

League sources told Postmedia there are as many as five or six teams that have shown interest in the 32-year-old, and it will be up to him to determine which destination fits best.

Article content

Though the Senators are seeking a second-round pick and a prospect in return for Tarasenko, he has some control over the situation. He has a full no-trade clause (NTC), which means he has every right to decide his future.

A league source told this newspaper that the Florida Panthers would be high on his list of possible destinations. They are among the teams that have kicked tires along with the Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers.

Tarasenko’s wife, and two toddlers, make their home in the Fort Lauderdale area and the Panthers are looking for another top-nine forward. He has had a strong season with 17 goals and 41 points in 57 games with Ottawa.

“They should be able to get a decent return for him,” a league executive said Monday. “He’s played well for them.”

Article content

Tarasenko is an attractive option for a contender because he won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, so he knows what it takes.

Making $5 million US on the one-year deal Tarasenko signed with the club last summer, the executive warned there may be a fly in the ointment if he tries to parlay a trade into a contract extension with the teams that want to bring him in for a playoff run.

Tarasenko recently hired high-profile agent Craig Oster of Newport Sports, and the belief is that was done to help facilitate a new deal with whichever teams are interested at the deadline. You have to hope that won’t hold up a deal, but Tarasenko does have the right to ask before he’s dealt.

“Normally the player wants to exchange waving his no-trade clause for something in return, and it would be no surprise if Tarasenko wants an extension with his new team,” another league executive added.

Article content

We’re told the Senators also have been trying to move winger Dominik Kubalik, defenceman Erik Brannstrom and centre Mark Kastelic. The club hasn’t been actively shopping defenceman Jakob Chychrun, but teams have called and the possibility exists he gets moved as well.

While TSN’s Darren Dreger reported the interest has picked up in Chychrun as the deadline draws closer, the indications are it would take an offer the club can’t refuse for Staois to make a deal. This just feels like this is a situation the club can determine in the off-season.

As the deadline draws closer, the Senators are trying to ignore the noise and dispensed with a skate at Disneyland on Monday and opted for an off-ice workout under the California sun beachside instead.

Article content

Battered and beaten up after dropping their fourth straight with a 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday on the road, the Senators will return to the ice Tuesday to prepare to face the Anaheim Ducks Wednesday to start a back-to-back series that will continue Thursday in Los Angeles.

Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, who missed two straight games because of an illness, has rejoined the club. Backup Anton Forsberg, who was injured on Friday in the team’s home loss to the Arizona Coyotes, is also on the road, but it’s not known if he’ll be ready to play Wednesday.

The club still has Belleville goalie Mads Sogaard, who was solid with 37 stops in the loss to the Flyers Saturday, on the trip and the possibility exists he’ll face either the Ducks or the Kings if Forsberg isn’t ready.

Article content

The best-case for the scenario for the Senators is to turn the page and what happened on the weekend by looking ahead to the three games in California.

“We’ve got to take what we can from that (Philly) game, and we’ve said it a lot this year, but we do have to move on,” defenceman Jacob Bernard-Docker told TSN 1200’s Gord Wilson on Monday. “It’s just been frustrating lately. Our starts have kind of gotten away from us.

“It’s been hard to climb back into games. That’s something we’ve really got to focus on by coming out hard in the first and go from there. We’ve just got to make sure that we have a better start.”

Captain Brady Tkachuk missed Saturday’s game with an undisclosed upper body injury and his status won’t be determined until after Tuesday’s skate in Anaheim, but the hope is he’ll be able to return.

BGarrioch@postmedia.com

Article content