Sara Civian of The Athletic (subscription required) is noting that the Carolina Hurricanes are actively looking to bolster their secondary scoring and that there’s a chance they’ll be hoping to make a trade for offensive help prior to the start of the 2021-22 NHL season. One name that could be on their radar is Vladimir Tarasenko out of the St. Louis Blues organization.
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Civian notes that the secondary scoring issue has been plaguing the Hurricanes for a while now and management has been heavily criticized for not being able to find the right fits. She explains:
It seems like they’re looking, though. They’ve been linked to Vladimir Tarasenko, and I could see a trade of some sort working out even if it isn’t Tarasenko. They’ll have some cap space left when they sign Svechnikov and I really think they need to do something.
This isn’t the first time Tarasenko to Carolina has come up in talks. Jeremy Rutherford noted at at the end of July that Carolina needed scoring but was in a “tighter squeeze, cap-wise.” He pointed to the fact the team had about $15.4 million in space but had to get Andrei Svechnikov signed.
Tarasenko Trade Watch In Full Effect
It almost feels like a matter of when and not if Tarasenko is traded and the Hurricanes seem as likely as any team that this point. The New York Islanders are rumored to be a team that might have kicked tires on the forward, but no one seems to really know what’s going on behind closed doors with GM Lou Lamoriello and his Isles roster.
The asking price for Tarasenko may determine whether or not the Hurricanes can get involved and if the Blues are willing to retain salary on any deal. St. Louis was willing to give the player away for free in the NHL Expansion Draft, but it’s only speculation at this point as to how much of his $7.5 million salary they’d be willing to retain to make a trade possible.
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