SKA Reaches a New Deal with Tarasenko

Upon hearing that Vladimir Tarasenko’s deal with SKA of the KHL had fallen through just a few days ago, there were three possible scenarios that could unfold for the Russian prospect. The first was that SKA would negotiate further and reach a new deal with Tarasenko after their original plans fell through. The second was that SKA could trade his KHL rights to a new club. The third, one that most Blues fans rooted for, was that Tarasenko would report to the AHL in Peoria. Today we have our answer as SKA has indeed renegotiated and signed Tarasenko to a new deal. The news comes to us from Dmitry Chesnokov.

The roller coaster week for Tarasenko is finally over. One moment he was SKA bound only to learn his agent’s last second demands were not met and his KHL club was moving on. He then plans for life in the AHL only to learn today that he is going to SKA after all. This time it’s official as the club formally introduced him today, as you can see here.

There are pros and cons to Tarasenko playing in the KHL during the lockout. A major pro is the fact he will be skating with Ilya Kovalchuk and will have a chance to learn about hockey in America from one of the most offensively gifted skaters in the NHL. A con is that he will still be playing Russian hockey, which differs greatly from hockey in the NHL or AHL. He might have benefited from spending this time in the AHL, getting adjusted to the American style as well as American culture.