Come Wednesday, they added Tarasenko.
Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice and recorded two assists in the Florida Panthers' seven-game win over the Edmonton Oilers in the Stanley Cup final. Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo
The 32-year-old winger will be playing for his fourth team since leaving the Blues, the team that drafted him 16th in 2010, in a trade with the New York Rangers ahead of the trade deadline in the 2022-23 season. The Rangers also acquired Kane in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks that same season.
His time with the Rangers saw him score eight goals and 21 points in 31 games before scoring three goals and four points in seven playoff games.
Tarasenko then signed a one-year deal worth $5 million with the Senators in free agency. He was part of an offseason haul that was designed to help the Senators reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
He scored 17 goals and 41 points in 57 games only to watch the Senators struggle for consistency. They finished with the third-fewest points in the NHL but traded Tarasenko to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Panthers.
Tarasenko's impact was instant. He scored six goals and 14 points in 19 regular season games. That led to him scoring five goals and nine points in 24 playoff contests with the Panthers fending off the Edmonton Oilers to win the first title in team history.
