He spent parts of 11 seasons in St. Louis, becoming one of the franchise's leading scorers, playing in three NHL All-Star Games, and winning the Stanley Cup in 2019.

[2][3] He was released to play with the Russian junior team at the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he scored eight goals in seven games and was named a tournament all-star as Russia won silver.

[6] Described by scouts as strong and mobile with no glaring weaknesses, Tarasenko had expressed interest in playing in the NHL,[4] though his father, also his coach with Sibir, believed it was important that his son remain in Russia.

He credited the decision in part to a desire to play with Ilya Kovalchuk, the captain of the team who also joined as a result of the lockout.

He scored his first and second career NHL goals on the first two shots of his league debut on 19 January 2013, against Jimmy Howard of the Detroit Red Wings in a 6–0 blowout.

On 19 March 2014, towards the conclusion of the 2013–14 season, Tarasenko underwent successful surgery to repair a hand injury sustained in a 4–1 Blues win over the Nashville Predators.

He was expected to miss the remainder of the regular season, but made a quick recovery, returning to play in the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs where he scored four goals in the series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

On 18 April 2015, Tarasenko scored his first career Stanley Cup playoff hat-trick against Devan Dubnyk of the Minnesota Wild in Game 2 of St. Louis' Western Conference Quarterfinals matchup.

In game 5 of the 2019 Western Conference Final against the San Jose Sharks, Tarasenko became the first player in Blues playoff history to score a goal on a penalty shot.

This was the second of three shoulder surgeries Tarasenko would undergo in a span of less than three years due to lingering instability, the first after an April 2018 injury and the third following an early departure from the team in the 2020 postseason.

[18] On 7 July 2021, it was reported that Tarasenko had requested a trade from St. Louis due to him being unhappy with how the club had handled his shoulder surgeries.

During the playoffs, he also scored his 40th career postseason goal, becoming the second player in franchise history besides Brett Hull to reach that mark.

[25] Having left the Rangers as an unrestricted free agent, on 27 July 2023, Tarasenko signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the Ottawa Senators.

[35] An unrestricted free agent at season's end, on 3 July 2024, Tarasenko signed a two-year, $9.5 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.