Tarasov, 26, is a restricted free agent who is 10 years younger than Sergei Bobrovsky. They come from the same Siberian town of Novokuznetsk, and Tarasov’s father, Vadim, was Bobrovsky’s idol.

The Blue Jackets traded Tarasov to the Florida Panthers for a fifth-round pick (No. 160 overall) in this weekend’s NHL draft, the first of what could be several moves for second-year Columbus general manager Don Waddell over the next week or so.

Florida Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito announced today that the club has acquired goaltender Daniil Tarasov from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Florida’s own fifth-round selection (160th overall) in the 2025 NHL Draft.