Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman opens up on the importance of Vladimir Tarasenko extension for next season

The Detroit Red Wings' signing of Vladimir Tarasenko on Wednesday was a massive move for the franchise as they look to return to the playoffs this season. After Vladimir Tarasenko hoisted the Stanley Cup for the second time in his career with the Florida Panthers, there was immediate talk of whether or not the team would re-sign him.

While the winger had expressed a desire to stay with the Panthers, Detroit signed him to a two-year deal worth $9.5 million on Wednesday. The move not only adds some more veteran experience to the team but also bolsters their top six.

With the addition of Vladimir Tarasenko, this offseason is shaping up to be a strong one for Detroit, and things are just getting started. While speaking in a live-streamed press conference with media members this week, Detroit GM Steve Yzerman opened up on the situation:

As he explained, the franchise is well aware of the fact that Tarasenko is a Day 1 difference-maker:

“A left-shot winger, bigger body, a little bit different type of player than our wingers, Lucas, Patrick Kane, Alex DeBrincat. Get a bigger body, a left shot fill out that I’ll say top-six, top-nine group. Scorer, straight-ahead guy who’s big and strong and go to the net. We feel that’s a really good addition.”

Looking at this offseason so far for the Detroit Red Wings after Vladimir Tarasenko signing

The Detroit Red Wings have had an impressive offseason so far. In addition to the signing of Vladimir Tarasenko, the team has bolstered their offense on several different fronts.

The team started things off by re-signing Patrick Kane, a three-time Stanley Cup champion who has shown that he's still able to produce offense at an elite level. While Kane may not be a 40-goal-per-season scorer like he used to be, he finished last season with 47 points in 50 games.

Kane signed on a one-year deal worth $6.5M, which carries a cap hit of $4M. In addition, the team also resigned Christian Fischer and Tyler Motte, with Fischer signing a one-year deal worth $1.1M, and Motte signing a one-year deal worth $800,000.

The team then added Jack Campbell on a two-year deal, Erik Gustafsson on a one-year deal, and Cam Talbot on a two-year deal with an average annual value of $2.5M.

Detroit also acquired 22-year-old netminder Gage Alexander from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Robby Fabbri and a 2025 fourth-round pick.

With offseason action just getting started around the league, it will be interesting to see what the coming weeks and months hold for the Red Wings.