The Minnesota Wild took a huge leap forward in 2025/26, and after the arrival of superstar blue liner Quinn Hughes and several other pieces at the trade deadline, the Wild’s outlook for the next few years has drastically improved after returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
During the 2026 NHL Draft, Bill Guerin was given the Jim Gregory Award NHL’s General Manager of the Year, and with the team linked to several players, including Dylan Larkin, this is the time that he now gets to prove it. However, before potentially making a blockbuster trade, the team have some decisions to make on current players, but according to reports, one of those decisions has already been made for the organization.
Vladimir Tarasenko Makes Free Agency Decision
GettyVladimir Tarasenko of the Minnesota Wild.
That decision was made by veteran winger Vladimir Tarasenko, who joined the Wild ahead of the 2025/26 season, marking the sixth team that he has played with since the 2022/23 season. In his lone season in Minnesota, Tarasenko was very valuable, posting 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games played despite a limited role with the Stanley Cup Playoffs team, and now, he seemingly wants out.
While no door has been shut on Tarasenko returning to the Wild in 2026/27 and beyond, according to NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun, Tarasenko will be headed to market when free agency begins this coming week on July 1st following another fantastic season.
Tarasenko recently changed agents to Dan Millstein, one of the most renowned agents in the National Hockey League, and at 34-years-old, Tarasenko may want to cash in on what may potentially be the last multi-year contract he signs in the league.
Tarasenko Will Draw Significant Trade Interest
With Alex Tuch signed long-term and Jason Robertson’s price seemingly going up every single day, there will be plenty of contending teams out there looking for help on the wing, and in Tarasenko, they could get one of the most experienced wingers in the league, one who recently won a Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers.
Over his career, Tarasenko has been very consistent, scoring 327 goals and 709 points across 906 games for the St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings and Minnesota Wild. There’s certainly a chance that a Minnesota team that wants depth ahead of what they believe could be a very deep post-season run in 2026/27 may want to bring back the 34-year-old veteran, but with so much interest expected to be shown, it’s more likely than not that he tests the market and lands a multi-year deal elsewhere.
Ultimately, it may just end up that Tarasenko wants a little too much to stay in Minnesota, and for a team that’s pursuing Dylan Larkin and has even been linked to Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson, the Wild are clearly chasing a much bigger upgrade, but given Tarasenko’s consistent offensive output, there should not be a lack of teams looking to give him a great contract this summer.
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