The son of former NHL defenseman Evgeny Namestnikov, Vladislav was around the game in his youth, hanging out at rinks and spending time with some of hockey's best players. Those players included members of some great Detroit Red Wings teams when his uncle Vyacheslav Kozlov called Joe Louis Arena home during the 1990s; Kozlov was a member of the Stanley Cup-champion Red Wings teams of 1997 and '98.

One of the players Namestnikov met in the Red Wings locker room was future Hall of Fame member Steve Yzerman, who was the general manager of the Lightning in 2011 when Tampa Bay selected Namestnikov with the No. 27 pick in the NHL Draft.

Despite his NHL roots, it took some time for Namestnikov to break into the League. After being drafted, the forward remained with London of the Ontario Hockey League for one season, then spent most of the next season, 2013-14, with Syracuse of the American Hockey League, though he did play four games for Tampa Bay.

He made the Lightning's 2014-15 opening night roster but was reassigned to the AHL in early December. By the end of the season Namestnikov was back with the Lightning and a regular in the lineup to start the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Namestnikov appeared in 12 games and had one assist during Tampa Bay's run to the Final.

In 2015-16, Namestnikov established himself as an everyday player and had his first NHL hat trick on Jan. 15, 2016, against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored his first NHL playoff goal on May 3, 2016, in a 5-4 victory against the New York Islanders in Game 3 of the second round.

Namestnikov had a breakout season in 2017-18. Playing mostly on a line with Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov, he had 20 goals, 24 assists and 44 points in 62 games with Tampa Bay but was traded to the New York Rangers on Feb. 26, 2018. He made an immediate impression on his new team by scoring a breakaway goal and contributing an assist in his first game with the Rangers.

Early in his third season with New York, Namestnikov was traded to the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 7, 2019. He had 25 points (13 goals, 12 assists) in 54 games with Ottawa before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche on Feb. 24, 2020.

After playing for the Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars, Namestnikov returned to the Lightning when he signed a one-year contract (average annual value $2.5 million) July 13, 2022. He had 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 57 games until he was traded to the San Jose Sharks for forward Michael Eyssimont on March 1, 2023. Two days later, he was sent to the Winnipeg Jets for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

Namestnikov signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Jets on Feb. 22, 2025. He played his 800th NHL game Nov. 7, a 2-1 Jets loss to the San Jose Sharks.