Five days into NHL free agency, Vladimir Tarasenko has fired his agent, Paul Theofanous, and his new representatives are starting over in the process of finding the right fit for the unrestricted free-agent winger.
J.P. Barry and Pat Brisson of CAA Hockey took on Tarasenko as a client on Tuesday, and they were spending Wednesday gauging interest in the 31-year-old, who spent the bulk of his career with the Blues before being traded to the Rangers last season.
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“Pat and I got to get up to speed really quickly here calling all the teams,” Barry told The Athletic. “We’re going to call every single team. We know there were four or five that were involved, just by talking to Vlad. We have to come to square one and see where the discussions were, who was contacted, who wasn’t contacted, and find out exactly where things were as of last night.”
Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported the change of agents.
There have been reports that Tarasenko received several offers and was close to a contract with Carolina. The Hurricanes, who declined comment for this story, were one of the teams Barry reached out to Wednesday, and he was waiting to hear back. Tarasenko also declined to comment, and Theofanous could not be reached by The Athletic.
“I don’t want to comment until I find out exactly what the discussions were, and what time, and what was offered,” Barry said. “I can’t comment until the team calls me and tells me exactly what happened the past three days.”
In an interesting twist, CAA may be getting some assistance from Theofanous. Brisson and Theofanous have a longstanding relationship and have helped each other in the past.
“I’m sure Pat has already reached out to him,” Barry said. “He’ll find out exactly where things were. I think Paul would (help) with his relationship with Pat.”
This marks the third agent for Tarasenko in three years. He was represented by Octagon’s Mike Liut for the first nine years of his career before switching to Theofanous in 2020.
That came at a time when Tarasenko was undergoing his third shoulder surgery, and Theofanous, who also represents Tarasenko’s close friend Artemi Panarin, recommended Dr. Peter Millett in Vail, Colo.
Then a year later, Tarasenko, via Theofanous, requested a trade from the Blues. That request was not honored, and Tarasenko played two more seasons with the club before general manager Doug Armstrong moved him to the Rangers at the trade deadline in March.
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This offseason, Tarasenko wrapped up an eight-year, $60 million contract ($7.5 million average annual value). Two years ago, he scored 34 goals and had career highs in assists (48) and points (82). Last season, his combined totals with the Blues and Rangers were 18 goals and 50 points in 69 regular-season games. He had three goals and four points in seven playoff games with the Rangers.
Tarasenko is an attractive offensive option for clubs, but with the NHL salary cap rising just $1 million to $83.5 million in 2023-24, finding a fit can be difficult.
“It’s a very difficult market, but he’s certainly the best player available on the market,” Barry said. “This isn’t the first time that markets have gone slow, so we have to go back and look at every situation that makes sense for him and whether he should do a one-year deal and get back in the market or whether there’s someone else out there that wants to talk about more.
“We have to look at all of that because when a player does a one-year deal, he’s looking for the best situation where he can perform and get back to a longer-term contract. So it’s tight and teams are opting, especially on the third and fourth line, to go with younger players and keep some flexibility. (But Tarasenko’s) body of work, and level of consistency, he’s a first-line difference-maker.”
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So even at this later stage of free agency, Barry said Tarasenko’s camp is not in a hurry.
“When you have a player who is pretty clearly to me the best player available on the marketplace, we don’t have to rush to do something in 24 hours,” he said. “I think we have to sit back and get all the facts and speak to every team. You never know, maybe there’s some teams that after that first rush want to get back in and look at making a trade or opening up cap room. So we have to look at everybody.”
(Photo of Vladimir Tarasenko battling for the puck with Hurricanes left wing Jordan Martinook: James Guillory / USA Today)
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