Vitek Vanecek, we hardly knew ye. The Florida Panthers have acquired a new backup for Sergei Bobrovsky and his name is Daniil Tarasov. To acquire the 26-year-old Florida sent Columbus its fifth-round pick (160th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Tarasov is a 26-year-old netminder who was chosen 86th overall in the third round of the 2017 draft by the Blue Jackets. Like Bobrovsky, who idolized his father, Vadim, he hails from Novokuznetsk, Russia. He heads into the offseason as a restricted free agent, so the Cats will have to get him under contract before the start of the 2025-26 campaign.
After some seasoning in Russia’s MHL, VHL and KHL and a one-year stint in Finland’s Liiga with Assat, Tarasov he made his North American professional debut with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters on April 3, 2021.
Tarasov’s NHL debut came on December 2, 2021 and he made 34 saves in a 3-2 road loss to the Dallas Stars. He finished the 2021-22 season with an 0-2 record with Columbus and went 5-3-3 in the AHL with the Monsters.
The 2022-23 season saw Tarasov split his time between Cleveland and Columbus. He went 5-5 in 11 games with the Monsters and recorded a 4-11-3 record with the Blue Jackets. He first NHL win came on October 23 against the New York Rangers. Tarasov’ second victory came on November 20, a 5-3 decision over the Panthers on home ice.
In 2023-24, Tarasov made a career-high 24 appearances and finished the season with an 8-11-3 record. He posted a 3.18 GAA and .908 save percentage.
During the 2024-25 season, Tarasov played 20 games for the Blue Jackets, posting a 7-10-2 record with a .881 save percentage and a 3.54 GAA . He recorded his first NHL shutout on January 18, stopping all 26 shots against the Rangers.
The Panthers sent gritty forward Justin Sourdif to the Washington Capitals last night for a second-round pick in 2026 and a sixth-rounder in 2027.
Sourdif has played in a total of four NHL games for the Cats over the past two seasons, registering one goal – the game-winner against the Nashville Predators on February 25, in his only big-league game of the 2024-25 campaign.
He spent the majority of this past season with the Charlotte Checkers, amassing 16 goals and 34 points in 43 games. He added four goals and six assists in 18 AHL postseason games as the Checkers advanced to the Calder Cup Finals before falling in six games to the Abbotsford Canucks.
In 2022-23, he scored seven goals and added 17 assists in 48 AHL games during his first professional season. He produced 12 goals and 38 points in his second season with the Checkers in 2023-24.
A third-round pick (87th overall) in the 2020 draft, the 23-year-old Sourdif is a restricted free agent after finishing his entry-level contract.