The news was a bit surprising when it boke on Thursday. It wasn't that Vladimir Tarasenko had signed a new deal, it was that the new contract was for far lower than he had been making, and was for just one year. New information shows Tarasenko may have gotten some bad advice from his agent.
After signing a one-year deal for $5 million with the Sens, we now know Tarasenko could have gotten more money and term from a few other teams, one of them being Ottawa itself. Tarasenko was offered four years at $5.5 million per season by the Sens early in free agency, as well as getting offers elsewhere for better than what he'll get now.
Betting on yourself is a common thing in professional sports, but for each one that works out, there are five to 10 others that don't.
The early contract offer from Ottawa would have earned Tarasenko $2 million more, and would have given him some stability at a time in his career when that's what most players want. Tarasenko, 31, will now have to go through all of this again next season, and could end up even lower when it comes to money. That will depend on how he does in 2022-23.
