Panthers land Tarasenko from Sens for 2 picks

Already a Stanley Cup favorite, the Florida Panthers strengthened their chances Wednesday by trading for Ottawa Senators winger Vladimir Tarasenko.

The Senators will receive a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick that would become a 2026 third-round pick if the Panthers win the Stanley Cup. They will also receive a 2025 third-round pick and are retaining 50% of Tarasenko’s $5 million salary.

Getting Tarasenko provides the Panthers with a legitimate top-six winger whose playoff experience could help the club win the first title in franchise history. This season, he has scored 17 goals and 41 points in 57 games in what proved to be his only season with the Senators. His playoff experience lends itself in the form of a winger who has 44 goals and 64 points in 97 postseason games which includes the 11 goals he scored to help the St. Louis Blues win the Stanley Cup in 2019.

With the NHL trade deadline approaching at 3 p.m. ET Friday, there was an expectation that the Panthers would be in play for a top-six winger and that Tarasenko could have been one of their options.

A pending unrestricted free agent, Tarasenko joined the Senators on a one-year contract in a move that was supposed to help the club return to the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. Instead, several items led to the Senators being unable to recover from a slow start. It ultimately led to them eventually firing their head coach and general manager in a campaign that will see them get a lottery pick.

His contract length coupled with the Senators’ situation is what led to Tarasenko being among the most attractive options for contenders seeking top-six winger help. Plus, the need for those players intensified Tuesday with the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights getting winger Anthony Mantha in a trade with the Washington Capitals.

“Vladimir is a highly skilled and experienced scoring winger who provides our club with another dynamic offensive option as we embark on the remainder of our season,” Panthers GM Bill Zito said. “We are excited for him to join our team and to compete for the Stanley Cup once again.”

Tarasenko, 32, has appeared in 57 games with the Senators this season, registering 41 points (17-24-41) including a team-leading four game-winning goals. His plus-13 rating ranks second on the club.

For Tarasenko, this will be the second year in a row he’s been dealt ahead of the deadline. Initially, he had spent his entire career with the Blues before he was traded to the New York Rangers last season in their playoff push. While the Rangers were eliminated in the first round, Tarasenko scored three goals and four points in a seven-game series that saw them lose to the rival New Jersey Devils.

That same postseason saw the Panthers continue building upon what has been the strongest period in their franchise’s history. With only nine total playoff appearances, the Panthers are on pace to reach the postseason for a fifth consecutive season.

Last year saw the Panthers narrowly win the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot and then upset the top-seeded Boston Bruins, who had the best regular-season record in NHL history. The Panthers would continue to upset teams en route to reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in their history only to watch a roster decimated by injuries fall prey to the Golden Knights in five games.

This season, the Panthers (43-16-4) not only remain Stanley Cup front-runners, but they’ve been frequent entrants in the discussion for the NHL’s best team. They entered Wednesday on a six-game winning streak and currently have a three-point edge