The Florida Panthers have acquired Daniil Tarasov from the Columbus Blue Jackets as a strategic move to strengthen their goaltending depth. The trade was announced by President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito, according to which Florida will be parting with their fifth-round pick (160th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft.
Tarasov’s NHL and AHL performances
Daniil Tarasov, the 26-year-old goaltender from Novokuznetsk, Russia, has shown impressive performances in his young career.
In 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 goals-against average (GAA). He came into the limelight this season on January 18, when he recorded his first NHL shutout, stopping all 26 shots in a matchup against the New York Rangers.
Apart from the NHL, Tarasov has also competed in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Cleveland Monsters, Columbus’ affiliate. In his two appearances during the 2024-25 season, Tarasov posted a 1-1-0 record, a .908 save percentage, and a 2.96 GAA.
Daniil Tarasov was originally a third-round pick (86th overall) by Columbus in the 2017 NHL Draft. Notably, Tarasov has played 65 NHL games with Columbus (2021-22 to 2024-25), holding a 19-34-6 record, a .898 save percentage, and 3.44 GAA, alongside 34 AHL games with a 17-12-3 record.
International and KHL experience
Before arriving in North America, Tarasov was a part of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Across 18 games in the 2018-19 and 2020-21 seasons, he recorded a commendable 11-4-3 record, a .924 save percentage, and a 2.13 GAA.
On the international stage, Tarasov earned a bronze medal at the 2019 IIHF U20 World Junior Championship (2-0-0 record) and competed in the 2016 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship, where he posted a 2-1-0 record with a .921 save percentage.
