Tarasenko Sweepstakes Takes Yet Another Stunning New Twist

At this point, the Vladimir Tarasenko Saga has as many plotline twists as a Stephen King thriller. After seeming, just a day or two ago, like the free agent had chosen the Carolina Hurricanes as his destination, word came down earlier on Wednesday that this might not be the case.

Now we're learning of yet another significant twist in the proceedings Wednesday afternoon.

Vladimir Tarasenko has new representation: JP Barry & Pat Brisson of CAA. What this means is no deal in place with any team, but process re-sets today.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 5, 2023

Tarasenko now has a new agency representing him, in JP Barry & Pat Brisson of CAA. As noted by NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, this means that the whole process "re-sets" as of today.

Where this leaves the Hurricanes, or the Ottawa Senators, who were also thought to be in the mix, is anybody's guess at this point.

Interesting to note that the Brisson/Barry camp do have one Senator currently in their stable (Claude Giroux), but no Hurricanes at all.

I don’t think Tarasenko ever envisioned the free agent market being what it is. With players like Orlov being in same age group, albeit a different position, getting $7.75 million over two yrs, I’m sure there has been some serious frustration with the lack of money available.
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) July 5, 2023

Obviously, Tarasenko is frustrated with where the market is for him right now, and we'll see if this latest development is able to ramp up the process for him.

Photo: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports