Thanks to everyone who voted for this year’s Top 25 Under 25 ranking. We had almost 100 submissions from Columbus Blue Jackets fans. Stay tuned as we count down the 25 highest voted players for the next month. Now, 9th-ranked Daniil Tarasov.
Daniil Tarasov
Voting
9th out of 40 eligible players
Writer Rank: 10
Reader Rank: 9
Highest placement: 1 (1 votes)
Most common placement: 5 (11 votes)
2021 Rank: 8
Biography
Birthdate: March 27, 1999
Birthplace: Novokuznetsk, Russia
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 196 lbs.
Position: Goalie
Catches: Left
Acquired: Drafted 86th overall (3rd round) in the 2017 Entry Draft
2021-22 Season
Tarasov had quite an up and down season in 2021-22. He played only 11 games with the Cleveland Monsters and his numbers didn’t jump off the page. For his AHL action, he managed a .893 save percentage and a 5-3-4 record. He did see games in the NHL and was able to be much more noticeable. In his 4 games in Columbus, he had a .937 save percentage, but didn’t record any wins.
Unfortunately, his season would end there. In February, he underwent surgery to repair his right hip. With recovery expected to take six months, he should be ready to go as of the writing of this article and hopefully he’ll join the other prospects in Traverse City in September.
2022-23 Season
Daniil will be the number one goalie in Cleveland for the Monsters this upcoming season and will have the opportunity to be a difference maker. The key for Tarasov will be staying healthy. He’s had a string of injuries in his young career and hopefully that does not continue to be a trend.
Don’t rule out NHL action for Tarasov. Merzlikins and Korpisalo hold solidly onto their spots, but an injury to either could give Tarasov another opportunity to see big league action. His athleticism and lanky build have many talking heads and fans believing Tarasov is the goalie of the future for Columbus. That may be true, but we will likely have to wait another season or two to truly find out.