Vladimir Tarasenko admits the real reason he signed with Senators

No one will ever really know how close Vladimir Tarasenko was to becoming a Carolina Hurricane except Tarasenko himself.

After his reported deal with the team fell through, Tarasenko fired his agent, hired a new one and proceeded to take his time in looking for his next team. Although he had interest from teams like the Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks, Tarasenko surprisingly decided to join the Ottawa Senators, and now we know why.

"I like that it's a young team and is very hungry to win," Tarasenko said, via NHL.com. “…The guys really seem like they're ready to make the next step. I'm really happy to be part of it."

His decision come as a bit of a surprise as Ottawa won just 39 games last season, finishing sixth in the Atlantic Division — six points out of the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. 

And while the Senators do have a few young budding stars like Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot, they traded last year’s prized offseason acquisition Alex DeBrincat to the Detroit Red Wings — noticeably weakening a roster that wasn’t good enough to compete for a playoff spot last season.

"Yeah, they didn't make the playoffs, but they played well,” Tarasenko added. “It's very exciting when you have a challenge ahead of you. We're excited to be part of it and to maybe share my experience that I've had in previous years. Help the team win the next step, win more games, make the playoffs and go from there."