Vladimir Tarasenko: Best of Russian Talent
By Ryan Ritchie
Vladimir Tarasenko was drafted 16th overall in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the St.Louis Blues. On June 25th, 2010 The St.Louis Blues traded their first overall pick from the 2009 Draft (David Rundblad) to Ottawa for the first-rounder used to draft Tarasenko. Remember, David Rundblad was a major piece in the Kyle Turris deal that brought him to Ottawa, sending Rundblad to the Coyotes where he was later traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.
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For a couple years, Vladimir Tarasenko was one of the best kept secrets in all of hockey. We had always heard rumblings about how good this kid was playing in the KHL, and his ability to be an impact player immediately.
Limited exposure to international leagues have made the evaluation process more difficult for European players crossing the pond to North American. Vladimir Tarasenko had a wealth of international experience captaining the Russian U20 team the year after he was drafted, leading the team with 11 points in 7 games.
Finally getting his first taste of NHL action, Vladimir Tarasenko made his NHL debut during the shortened 2012-13 lockout season. It was a somewhat quiet rookie season for Tarasenko only producing 19 points in 38 regular-season games (0.50 ppg). In his 2013-14 sophomore season, he put up 43 points in 64 games(0.67 ppg), and added four goals in six games during the playoffs. Last year in 2014-15, Vladimir Tarasenko tallied 73 points in 77 games (0.95 ppg), while adding seven points (six goals) in six playoff games. With only five games played into the 2015-16 NHL season, Tarasenko has already scored three goals and added four helpers for seven points.
Vladimir Tarasenko vs. Alex Ovechkin
Vladimir Tarasenko is making an argument for best Russian hockey player in the world, as he starts nipping at the heels of fellow countryman Alexander Ovechkin. Ovie is more of a pure goal-scoring sniper, whereas Tarasenko is both a goal-scorer and playmaker who’s more responsible in the defensive zone. So what’s the difference between these two? Ovechkin has more NHL experience, and has played on some high-scoring Capitals teams alongside one of the best playmakers in the game, Niklas Backstrom.
Oct 13, 2015; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; St. Louis Blues right wing Vladimir Tarasenko (91) controls the puck against the Calgary Flames during the first period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Vladimir Tarasenko has played with a few different bodies, but more recently has seen time alongside Paul Stastny and Alex Steen. While Steen has proven to have developed good chemistry with Tarasenko, he’s hardly first-line talent. If either Robby Fabbri or Ivan Barbashev find a way to develop top-line talent, the ceiling for what Vladimir Tarasenko can produce is easily above a point-per-game pace.
On Friday night, the St.Louis Blues played the Vancouver Canucks en route to a 4-3 victory on the road. The highlight goal of the game was when Paul Stastny took the puck to the outside on the right and threw it back towards the high-slot in the middle of the ice to Vladimir Tarasenko. He immediately made a beautiful tip pass to Alex Steen at the left-side of the goal who slipped it past Ryan Miller. The brilliance of the play was the quick re-directing pass by Tarasenko leaving both Canucks defenders and goalie Ryan Miller helpless.
The goal and highlights from the game can be found below:
How about the beauty Tarasenko scored early into the 2014-15 season? This went viral and was featured on highlight reels all-season long. In this particular video below,
has pinned Vladimir Tarasenko head-to-head with fellow Russian
.
Not sold on Vladimir Tarasenko just yet? If you haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying his steady highlights over the past two seasons, or simply don’t remember, we’ve got a healthy dose of them below:
While it may be true that Alex Ovechkin is the best pure goal-scorer in the game today, there’s an argument for best all-around Russian player. With a couple more seasons of experience, and improved linemates, there’s no doubt that Vladimir Tarasenko will be widely recognized as Russia’s top talent. But where does Tarasenko rank among Russian players right now? It’s a small group consisting of Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, and Vladimir Tarasenko. It probably won’t be long before Evgeny Kuznetsov makes an argument for being on the list. So where does Tarasenko rank on your list, and why?
Next: Montreal Canadiens Crowded Blue-Line
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