The Detroit Red Wings have signed right-winger Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $4.75 million. Tarasenko is a defending Stanley Cup champion who scored 23 goals and added 32 assists in 76 games played for the Florida Panthers who helped the team win the Stanley Cup for the first time in franchise history.
Some good Shows in Detroit. pic.twitter.com/tiiH1pqAna
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) July 3, 2024
The Panthers are in the Atlantic Division alongside the Red Wings and won the division with 110 points, while the Red Wings had 91 points. Tarasenko also won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019. So, where does the acquisition of Tarasenko leave the Red Wings after largely standing pat to begin free agency? Keep in mind that the Red Wings also need to re-sign their restricted free agents, Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond.
On the same day that the Red Wings acquired Tarasenko, the team traded Robby Fabbri to the Anaheim Ducks along with a conditional fourth-round draft pick in exchange for goaltender Gage Alexander. Alexander is 22-years-old. The Fabbri trade shed $4 million in salary cap space to make room for Tarasenko. The Red Wings now have just over $20 million in salary cap space to sign Seider and Raymond and any other players that Yzerman may have in mind.
Tarasenko was traded to the Panthers from the Ottawa Senators at the 2023 NHL trade deadline in exchange for a 2024 conditional fourth round pick and a 2025 third round pick. Along with adding scoring help to the lineup, Tarasenko also can be a mentor to help the Red Wings’ team adjust to “playoff-style hockey.” In 24 games played during the team’s Stanley Cup run, Tarasenko scored five goals and added four assists. Tarasenko would be in the top five in points scored on the Red Wings in 2023-24.
General manager Steve Yzerman seemed excited about the move to acquire Tarasenko. “He’s a left-shot winger, bigger body, a little bit different type of player than our wingers like Lucas Raymond, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat — a bigger body,” Yzerman said. “He’ll fill out that top six, top-nine group. Scorer, straight-ahead guy, goes to the net. We feel it’s a really good addition.” The scoring of the right side of the Red Wings’ forward group has been helped during the offseason with the re-signing of Patrick Kane as well as the addition of Tarasenko.
Additionally, Jonatan Berggren is a young Red Wing who can play either the left or right wing. In 12 games played for the Red Wings, as well as 53 games played for the Grand Rapids Griffins during the 2023-24 season, Berggren scored 26 goals and added 36 assists. Berggren was one of four players, along with Seider and Raymond, to receive qualifying offers from the Red Wings. These offers allow the team that issues them the right of first refusal or a draft choice compensation if those players sign an offer sheet with another team.
Ahead of Red Wings development camp, Yzerman said, “We had some interest in one that we thought might be a fit. We decided very quickly that it’s going to be really some major surgery to try and get it done.” So, who was this mystery player? The obvious answer as to what move he was talking about is Steven Stamkos. Stamkos played most of his career with the Tampa Bay Lighting when Yzerman was general manager. The 34-year-old signed a four-year contract with the Nashville Predators worth $32 million.
I have written that the Red Wings will look very different in 2024-25. With the signing of Vladimir Tarasenko and the upcoming contract extensions of Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond, the team will look to build on the 2023-24 season which saw them be eliminated from playoff contention on the last day of the season. With a full season from Alex DeBrincat the Red Wings may be able to get back to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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Juraj Slafkovsky is one of the most promising players in the NHL, but now he has been called out by David Pastrnak, who stated he lacks humility. After being picked No. 1 overall in 2022 NHL Draft, expectations were high in Montreal for young star Juraj Slafkovsky, and thus far, he's shown glimpses of being the elite level player many expected when he entered the National Hockey League. However, there are still some major steps to go, and in a recent interview, Boston Bruins star David Pastrnak pointed out perhaps one area where the 21-year old may need to improve moving forward. When asked about Slafkovsky and his potential, Pastrnak gave nothing but a glowing review of the young Canadiens star, but he did note that he believes Slafkovsky needs more humility. 'He's still a young player who is gaining experience in the NHL every year. This season it was already clear that he gave the team more than before...He just needs a little more humility, he should set an example for the young ones.' On the ice, there's no doubting that Slafkovsky has the presence, the size and the talent to be a true star, posting 101 total points over the past two seasons, but for whatever reason, it appears as though Pastrnak believes he needs to improve off the ice before he can take a major leap in Montreal. Ultimately, the talent is still there for Slafkovsky, and at 21-years old, he'll continue to learn off the ice, and if he can go anywhere close to living up to the potential that he's shown in his first three years at the NHL level, there's no doubt that he can be a big time star and help lead the Canadiens to significant post-season success.
The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class had its day in Cooperstown on Sunday. This year's class included Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, who were elected by the eligible voters from the Baseball Writer's Association of America, and Dave Parker and Dick Allen, who were elected by the Classic Baseball Era Committee. Here are some of the top highlights from Sunday's induction speeches. Dave Parker's son reads poem written by Hall of Fame father Parker's induction into the Hall of Fame was long overdue, and he sadly did not have the opportunity to enjoy the moment of seeing his name in the Hall of Fame as he died June 28. That left his speech in the hands of his son, Dave Parker II, who read a poem written by his dad. Parker spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he was an MVP winner, two-time batting champion and World Series champion with the 1979 "We Are Family" team. Dick Allen's wife remembers his kindness Allen was the other veterans committee inductee, and his widow, Willa Allen, spent the majority of her speech remember the kindness of Allen off the field as much as his ability on the field. Allen is going into the Hall of Fame as a Phillie but won the 1972 American League MVP with the Chicago White Sox. He led the league in OPS four times and was the 1964 National League Rookie of the Year. A reminder that Billy Wagner wasn't naturally left-handed Being left-handed is a huge advantage (and money-maker) for pitchers, and Wagner was one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers to ever step onto a mound in the big leagues. But he wasn't always left-handed. Wagner was a natural-born right-handed person but taught himself how to throw left-handed after fracturing his right arm twice as a kid. It led to quite a career. Wagner made a name for himself with the Houston Astros but also spent years with the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox. CC Sabathia takes playful dig at Ichiro Sabathia accomplished a ton in his 19-year big league career. He won 251 games, won the 2007 American League Cy Young Award, was the 2009 ALCS MVP and a World Series champion. He still has apparently not gotten over the one individual award he did not win — the 2001 American League Rookie of the Year Award, which went to fellow 2025 inductee Ichiro. Sabathia made sure to make a playful dig at that. Sabathia was the only American League rookie outside of Ichiro — who also won the American League MVP that year — to get a first-place vote. He received one. The others all went to Ichiro. Ichiro stole the show Ichiro stole 509 bases in his Hall of Fame career, and on Sunday, he added one more steal to his list of accomplishments by absolutely stealing the show at Cooperstown. He delivered two of the best lines of the day, first by calling out the one lone writer who did not vote for him, keeping him from being just the second unanimous Hall of Fame inductee ever (after Mariano Rivera). His best line of the day, however, might have been when he referenced his brief time as a member of the Miami Marlins toward the end of his career. Ichiro played 14 of his 19 seasons with the Seattle Mariners while also spending time with the Marlins and Yankees.
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
The Atlanta Braves acquired veteran Starting Pitcher Carlos Carrasco from the New York Yankees on Monday. New York received cash in the transaction. The veteran starting pitcher, 38, was not at the top of his game in The Bronx. He was 2-2 with a 5.91 ERA. Carrasco pitched better in AAA with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Will he regain his form as a member of the Atlanta Braves? How Will Carrasco Fit With the Atlanta Braves? This season has not gone according to plan for the Atlanta Braves. They are in fourth place in the National League East. Atlanta entered the year with playoff aspirations and has fallen short. Carrasco will help shore up an injury-riddled pitching staff. Starting Pitchers Grant Holmes, Chris Sale, and Spencer Schwellenbach are all currently on the IL. The injuries on the mound have hurt the team’s statistics. They are 20th in team ERA, 12th in opposing batting average, and 16th in WHIP. If the Braves do not get their pitchers back, a terrible season will only get worse. Final Thoughts It is unclear what role Carrasco will have with the Atlanta Braves. Whenever he gets called up, he will look to pitch well. If he does not, his MLB career could be nearing its expiration date.