As per a report by Vladimir Tarasenko has informed the St. Louis Blues that he’s open to being traded. Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff writes, “The St. Louis Blues are exploring a trade for star winger Vladimir Tarasenko. While Tarasenko does hold the cards with a full no-trade clause, upon further vetting, it appears the player has alerted St. Louis to several teams he’d be willing to be dealt. A change of scenery is in order.”
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This report comes after news Tarasenko’s name was connected in a trade rumor to the Calgary Flames as part of a Matthew Tkachuk deal. The supposed trade was quickly shot down by the Flames — as were any rumors Tkachuk might be moved — but it brought attention to the fact Tarasenko’s day in St. Louis might be coming to a close.
Seravalli adds that the 29-year-old forward is now healthy, and with a clean bill of health comes a chance that a couple of teams look at the winger despite his hefty price tag of $7.5 million per season for two more seasons. Servalli writes, “He has played just 34 games total over the last two seasons as a result of a recurring shoulder injury – but those issues has been corrected and he is healthy.”
The NHL insider points out that when on his game, Tarasenko is one of the most consistent scorers in the league. He’s hit the 30-goal mark in five straight seasons – with back-to-back 39 and 40-goal campaigns. He is fifth all-time in Blues franchise history in goals with 218 and collected 442 points over 531 games.
One has to wonder, if the Blues have decided this is the end of the road for Tarasenko, how quickly do they regret moving him? It might only be that he needs a change of scenery and he could explode offensively again. The fact he has been injured these past few seasons isn’t his fault.
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Outside of news that Tarasenko could be on the move, Seravalli notes that Mike Hoffman, Jaden Schwartz and Tyler Bozak could all be playing elsewhere next season as all are set to become unrestricted free agents. If everyone leaves, the Blues will have a tall task trying to replace that many goals.
“We paid him to score goals” seems to be the sentiment coming out of St. Louis when it comes to Tarasenko’s recent struggles. If he starts doing that for another team, how quickly might fans change their tune?
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