Minnesota Wild fans can be excused if they have an outdated idea of who veteran forward Vladimir Tarasenko is, and what he can offer, at this point in his career.

For Tarasenko’s first decade in the NHL, he was a Wild killer, coming to town a few times a year as a member of the St. Louis Blues, and using his deadly shot to zip pucks past Minnesota goalies with frustrating regularity.

Tarasenko — who came to Minnesota in a trade with Detroit over the summer — will turn 34 next week, and thus far has not been the consistent offensive contributor that he was at 24, to be sure. Entering Saturday night’s game in Vancouver, Tarasenko had two goals and eight assist in his first 21 games with the Wild. He also missed seven games in late November with a lower-body injury.

In his three outings since returning to the Minnesota lineup, Tarasenko had been held without a point prior to the meeting with the Canucks. But a reporter in Vancouver who asked about Tarasenko’s contributions to the team on Saturday, following the Wild’s morning skate at Rogers Arena, got a different perspective from the Minnesota coach.

“I think Vladdy’s playing pretty solid. I think his details are strong,” John Hynes said. “The thing I like about him is maybe some offensive things. Because he’s known as a scorer, find some opportunities to get his shot more and use his shot in scoring situations. But I think when you see the way that he plays the game overall, you can see why he’s been a part of two Stanley Cup winning teams.”

Originally from Siberia, the wild northern reaches of Russia, Tarasenko played pro hockey in his home country before joining the Blues in 2013. He was a key part of their 2019 NHL title — the first in franchise history — and after a trade to the Panthers in 2024, he scored five goals in Florida’s run to its first Stanley Cup that spring.

Tarasenko spent last season in Detroit, posting 11 goals and 33 points in 80 games. The Red Wings shipped him to Minnesota essentially for free, but Hynes was so invested in integrating the veteran into the Wild’s culture that Hynes traveled to the Tarasenko family home in South Florida shortly after the trade, working to make sure Tarasenko felt welcome playing for his former foe.

While he would certainly welcome more offense from Tarasenko — which is a common theme for a Wild team that had scored four times in its previous three games before facing the Canucks — Hynes is seeing other contributions that he likes.

“I think he plays without the puck really well, I think he’s competitive. He makes a lot of the right decisions,” Hynes said. “I liked that line the other night in Calgary. It was probably one of our better lines with (Nico) Sturm, Tarasenko and (Yakov) Trenin. So, I think he’s progressing.”

With all of that said, Hynes admitted that seeing more of that shot which used to frustrate Wild fans so often, would be a good addition to Tarasenko’s contributions in Minnesota.

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