Senators trade Tarasenko to Panthers for picks

The Ottawa Senators dealt Vladimir Tarasenko to the Florida Panthers for a conditional fourth-round pick in this year's draft and a third-round selection in 2025, his former club announced Wednesday.

The conditional pick will become a 2026 third-rounder if the Panthers win the Stanley Cup, and Ottawa is retaining 50% of the forward's $5-million cap hit.

The Russian is a pending unrestricted free agent and had a no-trade clause he would've had to waive to approve the swap, per CapFriendly.

Tarasenko was one of the top players available ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline. The 32-year-old winger has proven he can still produce offensively, notching 17 goals and 24 assists in 57 games with the Senators this season.

Ottawa signed Tarasenko to a one-year contract last July. He finished last season with the New York Rangers, who acquired him from the St. Louis Blues. He represented the Blues, who drafted him 16th overall in 2010, for parts of 11 campaigns.

Tarasenko's best years came between 2014 and 2019. He scored at least 33 goals in each of those five seasons, racking up 40 in 2015-16. However, shoulder injuries (and three separate surgeries) hindered him until he bounced back with 34 goals and a career-high 82 points in 2021-22.

The Panthers entered Wednesday with the league's best record at 43-16-4.

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