Oilers free agent targets: Vladimir Tarasenko

The Edmonton Oilers could consider adding more scoring in their middle-six.

Without Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl on the ice during five-on-five play in 2025-26, the Oilers managed to score just 55 goals, allowing 86 for a goal share of 39.01 percent. They were routinely outshot and outchanced, forming one of the worst bottom-six groups they’ve had in the McDavid/Draisaitl era.

Kris Knoblauch routinely changed line combinations, which led to the middle six seeing numerous players. Jack Roslovic was a bright spot of the middle six, scoring 21 goals and 36 points in 69 games, but he’s set to test the market when free agency begins on Wednesday.

That production will have to be found elsewhere, and Vladimir Tarasenko could be a replacement option, ranking as Daily Faceoff’s 24th-best available free agent.

Let’s take a look at the fit and whether the Oilers should pursue him.

Tarasenko’s fit in the Oilers’ lineup

Roslovic was a common linemate of Draisaitl, with the pair playing 276:55 minutes together in five-on-five action. However, most of his ice-time was spent away from both Draisaitl and McDavid, playing 565:27 minutes on his own.

That’s due in part to Draisaitl’s injury toward the tail end of the season, but Roslovic also played significant minutes with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as well.

A big gripe with Roslovic was his playoff performance, picking up just one assist in his six games. Over 51 career postseason games, he has just three goals and 18 points, well below his regular-season production.

While Tarasenko may not be the player he once was, he’s still an effective scorer. Last season with the Minnesota Wild, the 34-year-old Russian winger potted 23 goals and 47 points in 75 games, averaging just under 15 minutes a game. Only five of those goals were scored on the power play, as he potted 18 even-strength goals, the third most on the Wild.

It was also a bounce-back campaign for Tarasenko, who struggled in Detroit in 2024-25 and scored just 11 goals and 33 points.

There’s a lot to like about the player, as he’s capable of playing on either wing, as well as up and down the lineup. A third line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Jason Dickinson, and Tarasenko sounds fantastic, but it’s also easy to envision him as the trigger man beside either McDavid or Draisaitl.

Unlike Roslovic, Tarasenko has won it all in the past, twice in fact. He helped lead the St. Louis Blues to their first Stanley Cup in 2019, scoring 11 goals and 17 points in 26 games. Five years later, the Florida Panthers acquired him at the 2024 trade deadline. In that run, Tarasenko scored five goals and nine points in 24 games.

Of course, there have always been question marks surrounding Tarasenko’s defensive ability, but having a middle-six forward who has won two Cups and is capable of scoring 20-plus goals is a good fit for most contenders.

That said, should the Oilers pursue him?

Should the Oilers pursue Tarasenko?

As always, the usual caveats apply to whether the Oilers should pursue a player. Right now, they have about $7.415 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia, with their biggest area of need being in the crease or on the blueline, depending on a Darnell Nurse trade. 

Tarasenko is a good option for the middle six, but adding scoring is third on the list of priorities, and his contract expectations are unknown. He is coming off a two-year deal at $4.75 million per year, and changed agents recently, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. 

Now, if they can shed most of Darnell Nurse’s $9.25 million cap hit, then targeting a player like Tarasenko could be feasible. 

Essentially, the fit is there, but will Tarasenko still be available whenever the Oilers finally pull off the Nurse deal? Only time will tell.