On Vladimir Tarasenko and wanting a coach "telling him like it is."
I had a chat on Wednesday with the Red Wings forward about Paul Maurice and Todd McLellan.
In many ways Vladimir Tarasenko represented what wasn’t working for the Detroit Red Wings this season.
One of the higher-profile signings of the offseason, making $4.75 million against the cap this year and next, Tarasenko has 18 points in 42 games and is on pace for a dreadful 35-point season.
Tarasenko’s lack of production looks even rougher when you consider he was brought in to replace David Perron, who had 56 and 47 points each of his final two years with the Red Wings.
Tarasenko has also looked out of place and disinterested for most of the season, and one of the smaller reasons Derek Lalonde was fired — amongst many other things — was partially his inability to get much out of the Russian winger.
Whether coincidence or causation, since Todd McLellan was hired Tarasenko has become a more noticeable offensive player. He has six points in nine games under McLelllan, after having 12 in 33 under Lalonde. This number is helped by a two-goal game on Tuesday in a loss to the San Jose Sharks.
It’s important to note this is reflective of a team-wide push to more of a shot-first mentality, while it’s also aided by a softer schedule that McLellan, to his credit, has taken advantage of to help Detroit climb back into the wild card conversation.
It’s also the third consecutive year that Tarasenko has played for multiple coaches in a season. During the 2022-23 he was traded at the deadline from the St. Louis Blues to the New York Rangers, and last season he started with the Ottawa Senators before joining the Florida Panthers and winning his second Stanley Cup.
In Florida, Tarasenko was a complimentary but effective piece. He had 23 points in 43 combined regular season and playoff games. Tarasenko also had limited minutes, he averaged 13:22 per game in the postseason, but credited Panthers coach Paul Maurice with speaking harshly, but truthfully about that reality.
“He did a good job of making you feel important, even with less (ice time),” Tarasenko said. “He delivered that information very clear, which made the transition very easily, it opens things for honest conversation.”
And Tarasenko said honest conversation is one of things he wants from a coach. He said in his career he’s enjoyed playing for coaches that spoke bluntly, specifically pointing out Maurice and former Blues coach Craig Berube drove him by “telling him like it is.”
Hearing that, and thinking about what I’ve heard from those within the Red Wings locker room, it makes me wonder about Tarasenko’s early relationship with Todd McLellan.
McLellan was brought in to be more of a taskmaster and an ass-kicker, bring a bit more fire. It’s been notable in a public space how much more vocal he is with players at practice, after the Red Wings loss on Tuesday, for example, he didn’t hold back publicly when asked about Justin Holl’s game1.
So I asked Tarasenko2 about it on Wednesday before the team flew to Florida for a game against his old coach that he had praised.
“(McLellan) expects a certain level from the players every night,” Tarasenko said. “If you don’t do things right, you hear (about it). It’s a pretty honest thing, it makes the whole process pretty easy.
“You have to learn how to not only hear the good things,” Tarasenko added. “And when you hear the not good things, and then he gives you a chance, you feel motivated to repay that trust he puts in players.”
None of this is to say McLellan’s hiring has “fixed” Tarasenko or made the $4.75 million cap hit more palatable, in fact it should be noted that while he’s having better results point-wise right now, he’s still getting off a similar number of shots that he did with Lalonde in charge.
But the player said he feels more energized, and believes he has a coach that knows how to push the right buttons.
Quick credit to Holl, who the next day at practice was open and honest with the media himself about how bad his game was against the San Jose Sharks.
Tarasenko is one of the quickest changers on the team, so he’s rarely in the locker room during media availability. In total there have probably been five or six instances all season where I’ve seen him still in the room by the time it’s opened to media.