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Scribes Answer Questions About Trading Tarasenko and Future With Blues

Could the St. Louis Blues consider trading or moving on from Vladimir Tarasenko? Two scribes aren’t so sure the team is ready to move on.

When an NHL player starts to age and the injuries start to pile up, there comes a point when the NHL franchise they play for will have to take a good hard look at the value of that player to the organization. In some cases, the best plan is to cut ones losses and move on. In other cases, the value might not be there in a trade, even if another club wants to take on the risk of that player getting injured again.

Related: Who Will Be The First Call-Up For The Blues In The 2020-2021 Season?

On that note, questions in St. Louis seems to surround Blues winger Vladimir Tarasenko. Fans are starting to wonder if the Blues will move on from the previously productive forward considering his injury history and three remaining seasons at $7.5 million per season.

The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford and St. Louis Dispatch writer Jim Thomas both took a shot at answering that question in recent mailbag articles. Both scribes believed the Blues will stick with their forward, despite Tarasenko’s injury issues and slight decline in production.

Is a Trade an Option When it Comes to Tarsenko?

The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford was asked if a trade might be an option to send the injury-prone forward to another club. Noting that that the winger has had three shoulder surgeries, it’s a fair question to ask. In the end, Rutherford didn’t believe the value in a trade would make it worthwhile.

Rutherford explains:

Even if he never reaches superstar status again, there could be a better chance of him returning and helping the Blues than another team offering a player (or players) who can contribute.

Rutherford paints the scenario where the Blues trade Tarasenko for a forward and free up some money for a “more legitimate” backup goalie. He asks if those moves actually make the Blues that much better? He says, what happens if Tarasenko returns with that other team and starts to resemble anything close to the player he has been in the past?

Instead Rutherford suggests the Blues actually wait for Tarasenko to return, post strong numbers and then try to trade him at that point.

Vladimir-Tarasenko-NHL trade rumors-1
Vladimir-Tarasenko-NHL trade rumors-1

What About the Expansion Draft?

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch tackled the idea of St. Louis leaving Tarasenko exposed in the expansion draft. Suggesting he doesn’t think either Tarasenko or David Perron will be left exposed, Thomas thinks it could come back to bite the Blues.

He notes:

Perron is playing better than he ever has in terms of production. And you’d hate to make the wrong decision on Vladi and see him end up a 30-goal scorer again — as a Kraken. Remember, at worst you’re losing only one player. So if you lose a Sammy Blais, you get to keep an Oskar Sundqvist, Zach Sanford, Ivan Barbashev and all the defensemen.

Does this mean the Blues will never trade Tarasenko? Of course not. But, have the Blues washed their hands of the player or will they try to move him now or as soon as he returns out of fear he may get injured again? It doesn’t sound like it.

Next: Maple Leafs Could Trade Asset to Kraken to Protect Player During Expansion

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2 Comments

  1. Pingback: St. Louis Blues 2020-21 Report Cards: Vladimir Tarasenko

  2. Pingback: St. Louis Blues 2020-21 Report Cards: Vladimir Tarasenko - THE WORLD SPORTS TODAY

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